Murphey's Law
by 8cheshirekat
Summary: Toshiro/Karin, Uryu/OC Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.... on two separate occasions.
1. Chapter 1: The People

(Karin/Toshiro, Uryu/OC) Nothing is easy, not for these two from the Soul Society. They've come to fight, but she must standby and watch her ex-subordinate fight. He must survive long enough to destroy his target. The problem is that she is called away at the last second and his power fails. Now, all rests upon the shoulders of two separate missions. But how can help reach them both in time?

* * *

"Hitsugaya Toshiro reporting in. Target acquired. Pending further notice."

Toshiro's aqua eyes darted to the left. She was standing, quite tranquil, on an electric post. She'd been talking to her squad for nearly half an hour. What was she talking about? The latest hair styles?!

He heard the fuzz and click.

"All members are in position. Prepare for Arrancar. They will arrive in 0.07 seconds."

"Understood." Toshiro put the reciever back into his pocket. "Hey, you ready?"

She turned to look at him and Toshiro just smiled. Her ivory skin, her emerald eyes, her black hair, her green tattoos.... not really what the Gotei looked like, but she was pretty good at looking like that, like her own person. She wore a pure white kimono with a black kimono underneath to show her status in the Gotei. Around her waist was a rich, green sash. The armband she wore for her Gotei was purple.

"Of course, I'm always ready." She turned her back and her hair settled. The symbol on her back was a blank Gotei symbol. That was the way her squad was. Namelessly there. "Block it off. I don't care how long it takes. We need to black it out before it gets here. If that thing erupts here, we're in danger. No, no, no. That's irrationally thinking. We're here to protect his majesty, not to make more trouble. Yes, standby is good. Thank you, ma'am. Yes. No. No. Roger." She clicked the receiver off. "Ready for the battle, Toshiro?"

He smiled to himself this time. The only one who thought he wasn't an "elementary kid" was his ex-captain. She'd only been his captain for two weeks before her promotion, but everyone in the 10th Division loved her. They were happy she chose her next follower so well. "I'm ready for just about anything, Cifer-taicho."

She smiled and looked at Toshiro. "My name isn't so, since I'm at your level. I'm Ummamachi."

"Then I'm just Toshiro."

She sighed and hopped into the street. "ja ne, Toshiro."

"Yeah." He looked up. Despite the discomfort of his gigai, he was hoping he'd see her, just before his fight would begin. But something was wrong about seeing her. All the same, he hopped down and made his way to the soccer field. '_Just watch her play for the last moments before a possible death._'

"Kurosaki!"

"Catch it!"

Toshiro looked up and was able to turn and kick the ball back into play. Karin looked at him and Toshiro felt that same, safety that she'd ensured. He had let her stop him from destroying a Hollow for that reason alone. She had a sense of spirits. He assumed that she was good enough to sense them, and see them. Toshiro just watched her as she dashed back into the game.

"If only you were a Shinigami, Karin. Maybe they'd see you as a valuable ally. You're not like your brother, though."

He felt the shake and noticed that Karin and her soccer buddies went down. The barrier was here, up and running. Toshiro walked over and picked up the ball. Placing it beside her body, he knelt down. He felt something might go wrong and something would happen to them. It was impossible to tell. All he wanted was to be just like Karin, have a family and a normal life. Ah, that would've been lovely, in another life. But this life must be lived first.

"Hitsugaya, preperations are complete." Soi Fon stood a few feet away. Her gigai was dressed in a Chinese gi. "What're you doing? That girl's just a human."

Toshiro looked down at Karin. "I know that." He just stared at her before he got up and slipped out of his gigai. When he was sure it was a safe distance away, he kicked off with Soi Fon not far behind. As he shot up to the other captains, Toshiro wondered what kind of zanpakto Karin would've had as a Shinigami.

---Ummamachi---

She noticed that something was missing. She'd found a hospital to perch on so she'd be a safe distance away. Not having used a gigai, she wasn't easily spotted. But she did a head-count and noticed several captains were missing. Counting on her fingers she determined the number of Arrancar there would be left.

"Mirror, alert message."

She jumped and hit the reciever's button. "Mirror."

"Confirmation code?"

"All that is flesh and mask, Nothing but the soul's shield."

"Confirmation complete. Message transmitting."

She hated waiting for the message's transmission. It took forever and a day.

"Mirror, Garden, and Crow, you are to report all information. No matter how small. I want updates to know what decisions I must make."

In unison with the other two, Ummamachi responded. "Yes, your majesty!"

"Mirror and Crow, be aware of recalls from the other Shinigami! Garden, man your post with your life."

"Yes, your majesty."

"That is all."

"Yes, understood."

Ummamachi flopped back and sprawled out on the roof. The Arrancar weren't expected for another minute, so, it was time enough to catch a little break. She heard something like footfalls nearby and got up, rather quickly. She was on her toes and crouched down. Her hand was touching the blade that hung at her side. She always tied it with a string and let the end of the sheath come just an inch off the ground. That way, when she was in her attack pose, she could easily draw and slice in one motion.

She gasped when she realized it was a human. Why hadn't he been transported when the barricade had gone up?! Was he that strong spiritually that he could withstand the trance and then the transport?

"Shinigami...."

"Y-yes?" She tried to hold her composure and blank expression. '_How can he see me? Is he an exiled Shinigami? Or is he a Shinigami Substitute?_'

"What's happening?"

Holding her breath, Ummamachi tried not to blurt it out. "Who are you?"

"Ishida. Now, tell me."

"Well, Ishida-san, there's a battle about to begin." She stood up straight. "How can you see me?"

He didn't say anything, he just stared at something in the far distant sky. "I am...."


	2. Chapter 2: The Power

---Uryu---

He lay in a broken mess. Suddenly, right over him, appeared a Shinigami. He had hair that was spiked back and was dyed a dark green. He knelt down and touched Uryu's neck and then move his hand before Uryu's face. He was dressed in all-white like an Arrancar, but his face held two marks. One under each eye. They were like a tattoo. His eyes and the tattoo were the same color, orange. He put his hand on Uryu's chest.

"Can you hear me, Quincy-sama?" The man had a gentle voice, like someone who had achieved nirvana.

"Y-yes...." Uryu's face relaxed as he felt the pain slowly seep out of his body.

"That's good news. You can't be reached up here by the Fourth Division." The man touched his ear. "Crow, requesting assistance! Substitute has taken down a Quincy in the battle! I need Mirror's healing assistance! Now!"

"Don't call for backup if you can't hold your own."

Uryu's eyes widened. He'd just witnessed Ulquiorra's death! How can his voice still be there?!

"Dang! I should've seen that coming!" Crow twisted around and his sheathed sword contacted with Ulquiorra's unsheathed sword. "You Espada don't die that easily, do you?!"

"I never died. I was simply cloned from him." The Espada raised his sword again. "Move aside and allow me to put the boy out of his misery."

---Ummamachi---

She was sitting on the rail that he was leaning on.

"So, Quincy and Shinigami aren't that different." He looked up at her again. "You're just as human as us."

"Yes, that's right, Ryuken." She stared at him. "If I was only a few human years older, maybe I'd like you, but you're like a hidden delicacy someone let lose on the world. The last great Quincy teacher."

"A girl from another life would've done just fine." He looked away, irritation obvious.

She laughed. "Ah, how I wished I could be human again." She smiled sadly. "But death comes with it's own price. So, life can't be lived." She suddenly jumped and Ryuken caught her so she didn't fall and hit her head. "Yes! Mirror here."

"Mirror, you are to report to Hueco Mundo! Crow has requested assistance! Quickly!"

"Sorry, Ryuken, I have to go."

He dropped her. "Go."

"Thank you!" She gave him a quick bow.

When she was ear shot away, Ryuken sighed. "Machi, is it? How strange of you, Machi. You befriend a Quincy just to know we're human. What are you? Human or Shinigami?"

---Renji---

He looked around, blood covering his face. Spread around him were Chad and Rukia. He had no chance against Yammy.

"It's time to finish this!" Yammy raised his fist.

Renji closed his eyes, but when all he felt was wind, he opened his eyes again.

And they opened wide.

The white uniform! The orange sash! The purple armband!

"Squad Zero?!"

The man turned his head. He looked bored, as was the expression all of the Zero Division wore. He looked to be of higher rank, since he had two, small marks on his face. He just stared down at Renji before he turned his attention back to Yammy.

"You're strong, Abarai-fukutaicho. Please, don't falter just because they're fallen. You must have faith in yourself to win." The man raised his unsheathed sword. The orange sheath was darker than the rest of his uniformed orange. The Zero Division never unsheathed their swords, unless the absolutely had to.

All of a sudden, a huge pressure pushed down on Renji and he had to stop himself from letting it crush him. Looking up, he saw a cero shoot overhead and two, small, white dots zooming around, hitting each other. Renji couldn't tell, but the pressure was defiantly a captain's level. But it was unrecognizable. Was this someone who was on their side? Or was it the enemy? All Renji could tell was that one dot was winning against the other....

Several thousand feet above Renji, Ummamachi was having trouble stopping each blow. She wasn't going to unsheathe her sword, unless she was dying and she had no choice. Right now, she had to get to Uryu and heal his wounds. Unfortunately, Crow had to dash down to save Abarai Renji from being crushed, which left Ummamachi to fight Ulquiorra.

"Shinigami, tell me your name before I kill you."

"I am tenth seat, Zero Division, Cifer Ummamachi!" She raised her unsheathed sword and decided that this place, high over the ground, would be perfect for her to release her zanpakuto from it's sheath. "I will not hold back!"

"Cifer?" Ulquiorra stood there. "My name is Cifer Ulquiorra...."

Ummamachi froze. "Ulquo?"

He suddenly covered his ears and screamed. "No! Stop it! Stop it! You witch! What did you do?!" His voice was enraged, but it lasted only a moment before he lunged at Ummamachi. "I don't care." He was back to normal.

Ummamachi drew her blade. The green guard deflected Ulquiorra's blow. "No! I won't die here! I have to win!"

"For what reason?"

"Because I'll die alone. A friend of mine taught me, long before his death, that if you die, die beside someone you trust. Let the memory of you live on in them. That is how we survive to live another day. My philosophy is that I will die by the hands of someone I trust. I won't die by your hands!" Ummamachi raised her weapon. "Smudge and crack, show me how beautiful you are, Kagami!"

The blade did crack. But as it broke in places, Ummamachi charged. When the cracking finally stopped, she was holding a cracked, glass sword.

"Tch, glass breaks easily!" Ulquiorra slashed, but when he did, Ummamachi mirrored his movement and the blow was deflected away. "What?!"

Crow looked up. "So, she's that desperate to win." He blinked and looked down. Renji was still gawking at him. "What?" He wasn't really paying attention to Yammy, who was blabbering about something that was "unbeatable" about him. "Abarai-fukutaicho?"

"You're Zero Division, Shiba Kaien!"

"Oh, well, if that's what you wanna say. I sound like him because my spirit is his. But this life is my own." Crow smiled. "My real name is Yajin Kiba. I'm the Leuitenant of Zero Division. The only reason I'm here is to keep Machi in line." He looked up again. "That girl needs an attitude adjustment." The smile was gone when Yammy came at him. "Now, then, what shall become of you?"

The fist that came to him was, of course, three-times larger, but Crow twisted and slammed his left fist into Yammy's, turning his back fully to Renji. The wind was unbearable and knocked back Chad and Rukia's limp bodies. Crow looked over his shoulder and gritted his teeth.

"Tsk, this could prove problematic." Crow closed his eyes. '_Machi, you fool. You've show just how frail you are. They'll all think we're just as frail.... don't you remember anything?!_'


	3. Chapter 3: The Choices

---four hundred years ago---

"MACHI!!"

She jumped, nearly out of her skin, and looked behind her. Sticking out of her mouth was an empty skewer from her dango. She gave a little smile and her brother crossed his arms.

"Ulquo....."

"Are you eating dango again?! I told you that stuff isn't good for you! You're wasting our money!" He snatched the stick. "How many?"

"Uh, one." She was looking around. All she'd bought was one stick of dango. She'd never really ate sweets, but this time, she had a little sweets. "See?" she let him look through what little she had and she giggled when he glared at her.

"Machi...." He put his hands on his hips. "Next time, don't waste our funds on sweets. I know you wanted that, but please restrain yourself." Ulquiorra smiled and ruffled his twin's hair. "Now, let's go. It's our first time out in the field and you know how long I've waited for this."

"Right!" Ummamachi hopped up and grabbed Ulquiorra's hand.

The twins went nowhere without each other. The Cifer twins had been abandoned in the outskirts of the Soul Society. They had worked their way into a small house and still worked for a richer family, cleaning and cooking and babysitting. Despite being so young, they could easily take care of themselves. The Cifer twins were also attending the academy, with exceptional grades.

Today, they had work right after the classes were over. But the Cifer twins were catching on to the Gotei as well as the Royal Family. They were strong, intelligent, young, and attractive. But they seem to have gotten known as the twins without limits.

"Ulquo!"

Ummamachi was pointing at a bird that flew nearby. As she did, the presence of a Hallow appeared. Because they were in the Human World, the Hallow startled the two of them. By reaction, Ulquiorra pulled his weapon, prepared to strike.

"Machi, get ready!"

They had a set up. Ulquiorra would do close-quarters combat while Ummamachi was the kido and long-range combat. It worked flawlessly, because Machi never missed. Ulquiorra never faltered in his resolve to kill. It was reliant upon the Cifer twins not falling apart.

But this time, Ulquiorra was hit. Machi, by reaction, put up a barricade and that left her wide open. The Hallow came for her.

She drew her zanpakuto and, with that motion, turned and landed a good kick to the Hallow's body before her blade slashed one of it's legs off. Machi, being sweet and gentle, was being forced to draw her weapon. Ulquiorra didn't want his sister to soil her hands in blood. This made Ulquiorra break her shield and charge the Hallow. Machi's weapon was more for deflection than attacking. His, on the other hand, was meant to suck the energy out of opponents.

"Blast, Ryu!" His blade flashed and became green with black vines growing around it. The guard extended and became black bat wings. The hilt became black with the green cloth tied around it and a green chain that wrapped up around his arm. It looked like something like a dragon's thrones growing on Ulquiorra's body.

It was, oddly enough, unusual for academy students to be able to release to shikai level.

"Smudge and crack, show me how beautiful you are, Kagami!" Machi deflected the Hallow's cero straight back at it. However, when she prepared for another attack, Ulquiorra was caught by one of the Hallow's hands. "Ulquo!"

Several instructors came to Ulquiorra's aide, but the boy was pulled into a rip in the sky. He was being pulled into Hueco Mundo.

Ummamachi jumped hard, going faster than any student. She reached out her hand. "Ulquo!" She was desperate to grab his hand, desperate to hold onto her brother. But....

The sky was closing. Ulquiorra was reaching back, screaming for her. The sky was closing....

When the sky was seamless again, Machi slid to a halt. The sky was closed.

---present---

Crow set down the two unconscious bodies and let Renji jump off his back. He quickly drew his zanpakuto off his belt. He launched himself towards the two white dots fighting. After a second, one dot came rocketing towards Renji, Ichigo, and Orihime. When she was close enough, Machi stopped short of the tower they were all sitting on. The movement swept passed her and sent wind up around the warriors.

"H-hey! Who are you?!" Ichigo asked. He looked like he didn't understand anymore.

"Me? Nobody." Machi slowly came down and they realized she was wearing a Hallow mask. It was like that of a masquerade ball. Smooth, flawless, mouthless, eyeless. Where they eyes should've been were four green lines. Where the mouth and nose were supposed to be, were dark, black lines that looked more like stab wounds. It came up, over her head, and spiked straight down. The ends of the spikes were thick, like they could've been as large as a wrist. When she shook her head, her black hair came lose and the mask vanished into thin air.

"A-a Vizard?!"

Machi looked confused as she drew a triangle under her left eye. "No. Why? Do I look like one?"

"Well, um, yeah...." Ichigo suddenly realized he wasn't holding his sword.

Machi went to a body lying nearby and started to shed a green light. It wasn't the lime green of healing, but an emerald green. Ichigo quickly ran over, followed by Renji and Orihime. The trio stopped as they watched in awe.

She was undoing his top and letting her hands heal him as she worked. The wound that was still gaping was slowly coming to a close. Machi put her hands, one on top of the other, on the wound itself. Blood was still coming, but Machi's own blood was being forced out of her hands and into the wound. Slowly, Uryu's stressed face relaxed and Machi's glow disappeared. Sitting back, she touched Uryu's forehead, wiping away sweat.

"Is he okay?!" Ichigo asked, seeing his blade lying beside Uryu's body.

"He'll survive, but this might've compromised his system. I won't know until a physical is done on him." Machi looked up at the trio. "Is he a friend of yours?"

"Y-yeah...."

Machi looked back at the peaceful expression. '_Kind of reminds me of you, Toshiro. You would always be the one to wait for the right moment. But sometimes, that costs you...._'

---Toshiro---

He was through. There was nothing else he could do! But she was breaking his obelisk, destroying the flowers. It was impossible for Halibel to still be able to push away the frozen flowers. Unless she was using something else.

Just as the thought passed through his mind, a cero blasted through the ice and frozen sky, piercing the obelisk and breaking Halibel free. She raised her blade again and it started to rain on Toshiro as she prepared for the attack.

"I won't let you get away with that!"

Just a few thousand feet away, Yamamato had an idea that he thought would be worse if he actually tried it. If he could just find one more shinigami, Toshiro would be okay. But where would he find another shinigami and from this distance? Would they make it in time if he called for someone from the Soul Society? No, it had to be someone within the World of the Living. But who would be good enough to help Toshiro?


	4. Chapter 4: The Other

---Karin---

She woke to find an elderly man looking down at her. By reaction, she jumped back. Then she noticed his cloths.

He looked like Toshiro, with the white and black. "Hello, there, young Kurosaki Karin." He was warm and welcoming when he spoke.

"H-hey...." She didn't know weather to smile or frown or just run away. "Um, what's.... up?"

"Eat this, would you?" He held out a small green orb that looked like candy.

"I'm not a sweets person, old man."

"It's not just a candy. Please, will you just swallow it?"

"Fine." She popped it into her mouth and swallowed. Within moments, she felt a weight float up and pull her head away from her body. She reeled back and then landed. She raised a fist. "What's the big idea, old fart?! You tryin' to.... to...." She had looked down. "My body?! What the devil?!" She tangled her hands in her hair. "My body!"

Karin wasn't wearing her tee and jeans. She was wearing the shinigami uniform and there was a zanpakuto at her side. Yamamato, who was watching, was sure that she wasn't a normal human soul and now this confirmed it. He held out a hand.

"Please, there is someone who would like your assisstance. Can you offer that?"

"Um, I think...."

---Toshiro---

He slammed into a building, breaking a crater in it. He bounced off it just a bit and started falling. It was impossible to know, but that was probably his limit, as the ice was breaking down, falling away. That was it. He probably could've gone on, but now, he wasn't sure if he could even stay awake.

He saw a wave coming for him. Ah, yes, this was going to be it.

"Roar and Screech, Inumaru!"

Looking up, Toshiro saw an unrecognizable shinigami. She was familiar from behind. The zanpakuto, however, he didn't recognize. Sheathed, it might've been just long enough to touch the ground from her low waist. But now that it was released, it was something else.

The guard had shrunk to just cover the hand. The hilt lengthened so it could fit four hands right beside each other. It was copper with yellow cloth. The blade itself became a straight point with two blades. The bladed edges were lined by a yellow dye that came inwards and made the mark of the dog. The girl holding it was changed slightly as well. A yellow collar appeared on her neck with a silver chain that was broken ten links down.

"Who....?"

"Don't!" The girl signalled for him to stay down. With a swing of her blade, she sent Halibel's tsunami so it split, evenly, right around the two of them. "Tia Halibel! I challenge you, as a replacement for Hitsugaya Toshiro!"

"State your name, girl...."

"My name isn't 'girl', Tia. It's Kurosaki Karin!" She lunged at Halibel, her blade trailing just behind her. Halibel came down to her.

Toshiro was in shock. "K-Kurosaki?!"

"Yes, Hitsugaya-taicho. That is Karin." Yamamato was looking down at Toshiro. "You needed the time. If you would like, I can have her pull back once more."

"No. It's okay." Toshiro slowly got up. "But why her? Why bring her into this?"

"Her father." He looked at Karin.

Karin's blade was causing sparks when it contacted Halibel's blade. She pointed at Halibel's face and performed a Byakurai. The lightning crackled through the air and zipped through the silence, ripping it so loudly that dust was shaken off the buildings around her. When Halibel kicked her, Karin twisted around and pointed her feet at the clouds. She rocketed back down, slamming her blade into Halibel's once more.

"Kurosaki's father?"

"Yes. Her father is an exiled shinigami. He disappeared and we declared him MIA. But when Ichigo came to our world, I investigated. During the investigation, I found that his twin daughters had the unusual ability to sense and see spirits. This led me to believe one of them must be a shinigami's spirit." Yamamato held up his hand, gesturing to Karin. "When she was found to be the sight, I decided she was the shinigami spirit that resided here. Her brother isn't a true-bred shinigami, she is." He gestured to Toshiro. "You discovered her, so, she owes you."

Karin swung her blade and smashed Halibel's defense, sending her quite a ways away.

"She didn't need to train, it comes naturally to a shinigami spirit. But what I don't understand is why we didn't discover her until recently? Why we discovered that her father is sitll alive and quite well, after nearly fifty years. It's not as though she knew about this before."

Toshiro suddenly felt the urge to defend her. He didn't want her to get injured, but he knew that the head captain would stop him if he tried. It was going to be impossible to defend her when the head captain and her new-found abilities stood in the way. Without trying, Toshiro jumped to the occasion to assist her.

When he created a huge wall of ice to give Karin time to recover, he felt her hand on his shoulder and he looked back at her. She just smiled her wry smile before she broke a hole in the ice. She was sparing, blow-for-blow, with Halibel. It was almost as if they were fighting for superiority over the ice that stood strong and tall. Toshiro could only wait and see. It wasn't as if they'd be fighting over a man. Until....

"You're so easy!"

"You're so in love!"

"How dare you?!"

"Jerk!"

"Good-for-naught!"

"Butt-head!"

"You're an s.o.b.!"

"So?! If I am, what does that make you?!"

It was unusual to hear insults from anyone except Ikkaku, but these two put Ikkaku to shame with how loudly they were arguing. Toshiro pushed the ice forward and it shattered outward, throwing shards at Halibel. Karin launched like a rocket and stopped above the impact areas. When the coast was clear, she plummeted back down and landed, nice and hard, on Halibel's body. That didn't do much to the Espada, except make her very angry. Karin didn't care, though, she just jumped back and waited on a nearby light pole. Toshiro wanted, so badly, to stop the two of them from fighting so irrationally. But, being that they wanted to fight, he would only break them up if he felt they might be using too much profanity in their language.

Toshiro recalled what Ummamachi had told him, many times.

'_It's not about how strong you are, it's about how strong you can become or have become. Don't just help because you can. Help because you want to. If an ally is being beaten down, assist them to the best of your abilities. That's what makes the difference between strength and friendship._'


	5. Chapter 5: The Permission

"Stupid, stupid, dang it!"

Crow was infuriated by how strong Yammy was becoming. He had to tear off four of five locks on his spiritual presence. He was irritated more with himself, however....

Looking to the side, Crow's eyes landed on Machi. She was currently using kido to keep a force field up as Unohana checked Uryu. Crow looked away again. He was going to have to use bankai at this rate. He hated using his bankai. It wasn't like his old one. This one had another power, another ability that made his other one shamed. Of course, he didn't want to use his shikai either....

"Tch! You're making me make tough decisions! Jeez, these people." He slammed his hand on his blade, making the end dig into the sand. "Sing, Neji!" The blade erupted with orange light. After a moment, the light faded.

Crow wasn't holding a blade. Instead, protuding from both hands' knuckles were orange blades. They were twisted in a graceful twist. Around each wrist were orange bracelets, each had yellow-colored chains. Crow just sighed.

"You don't know how much I hate using this shikai, Arrancar Zero." He closed his eyes. "I hate them because...."

"I don't care!" Yammy's fist came down.

"Ah, yes, you wouldn't, would you, rage?" Crow used a flash step. As he reappeared, he was drawing the seal back on the left side of his face. The paper seals would have to be replaced later. In shikai, however, there was a chance that Crow would over-power Yammy before anything happened. "It's power frightens me. That's why I hate Neji!" He threw his fist forward and the blades began to rotate in a graceful movement. But when they connected with Yammy's bare fist, they tore through the armor and hit the skin. "Tch! Too shallow!"

"Damn straight!"

Crow was sent flying high. '_Shoot, at this rate, I'm going to be beaten before I even land a blow! C'mon, Neji, we can't have Kagami and Machi show us up!_' He raised his hand and touched his face. '_But I promised I wouldn't use it! No, not Neji's bankai.... KuroNeji is impossible to control! But this guy.... no!_' Crow's eyes widened. He was thinking too much and Yammy's fist slammed into Crow's stomach, sending him straight back up. '_No, no good...._'

Machi looked up when she saw blood coming down. '_Crow.... c'mon, I'm relying on you to stop Yammy before it gets bad.... Crow._' She looked back when she heard an exclaimed sound. "What?!"

"His wounds, they won't heal naturally! I need to get him where my bankai can reach him!" Unohana sounded exceptionally nervous.

Machi tapped her com unit in her ear. "This is Mirror! I demand an audience with his majesty!"

"Nobody talks to his majesty unless it's--!"

"Screw those rules! There's a dying soul! I need the okay to use bankai! Crow and I are having a hell of a time out here! Let me use it or report my message to his majesty! Either way, at this rate, Quincy Ishida Uryu will die!"

"Witch...."

"What?!"

"We'll send Witch! She may be able to back you up while we assess the situation. Garden requested the same. It would seem that Aizen has broken out sooner than we'd thought. Please, hang tight for a few minutes."

"Crow can't 'hold tight for a few minutes', Mina! Either take it now or exile us later! This Quincy's life is on the line! Don't tell me to hold it! No life is that worthless! Now, stop acting like scum and go! Or I'll slice you to bits when I get back!" She tapped the unit again and gritted her teeth. '_Toshiro, what's going on out there? I thought you'd be able to hold Aizen off! Why are you guys calling for back up? I thought you were the back up...._'

---Toshiro---

He was so baffled by Karin's power. Despite only being a shinigami for, oh, about, twelve minutes now, she was extremely good. She could match the lowest seated officer. But she was so young and so agile, it made it perfectly clear that she was able to hold her own.

Until just now.

She was being choked by Halibel. Inumaru lay several feet below the duo. Karin had mistaken Halibel's strength and speed and was now paying for it.

Toshiro realized that nobody was anything more than human. Everyone made mistakes. He took action. Launching off, into the path of Halibel's cero, he managed to get Karin free. Landing beside Inumaru, Toshiro turned around. Karin was trying to catch her breath, so, he had to deal with Halibel until then. Gritting his teeth, he tried to think of something when....

"Byakurai!"

The lightning whizzed out and shocked Halibel pretty good on the arm, leaving a burn. She glared down at Karin and Toshiro. At first, she just glared, then she did something about it, blasting her way through the air, her blade coming down, fast.

Toshiro raised his own zanpakuto when something changed.

The air became thick and heavy. All of a sudden, everything came down. The barrier was re-inforced. There was a blast of familiar spiritual pressure and some unknown pressure. Toshiro looked up and saw someone coming right down at them.

"Hanako?!"

She slammed her blade straight into Halibel's and twisted around her long blade, kicking Halibel into unconsciousness. She proceeded to jump back up, pulling her blade out and land just close enough to tap Toshiro's shoulder.

"Stand back, Hitsugaya-taicho. We're here as reinforcements. It's time we stepped in. We've watched for far too long!" After all that time, Ukitake Hanako's hair had finally grown to cover her ears a bit more. Her body had filled out and she was the perfect image of natural beauty. She raised a hand to her ear and tapped. "Witch has arrived inside the barricade. Release the pressure. The others have made it through safely as well. Yes. Alpha Confirmation Code; Witch, Sing that ugly beauty back."

She put both her hands on the hilt of her blade. "Shoot, Sakuranbo Ite!" The blade became a bow once more and she aimed for Halibel's chest. "C'mon, I'll take you on!"

Toshiro just laughed. "Same as always, I see."

"Stuff it and run. If you're caught behind me, the wind will knock you pretty far out." She drew her hand back. "Now, scoot or I'll kill you by mistake!"

Ummamachi's signature green flash made Toshiro look right up at her.

Ummamachi's blade was cracking. She still hadn't gotten confirmation! It was driving her mad. Her blade was going to break, her seals were going to shatter, and her only hope was that the king would get back to her soon.

But then, her Kagami shattered, splintering off into a million glass pieces.

'_Shoot! That's it! That's my limit! I'm dead now!_'

Just like that, Yammy's fist impacted her chest so hard her lungs compressed. The wind had been knocked out of her. Suddenly, she was choking on blood as her lungs tried to restart. This wasn't how she wanted to die! She wasn't going to die alone. Not when she could die with a friend at her side.

The thought struck her, but as it did, so did Yammy's foot, connecting hard with her teeth. And then....

"PERMISSION GRANTED! ZERO DIVISION, YOU ARE CLEAR TO UNLEASH YOUR BANKAI! RELEASE! RELEASE! REPEAT MESSAGE; PERMISSION GRANTED!"

Crow, Witch, Mirror, Garden, and Dog all launched into the air. The signal was given and they weren't going to hesitate....


	6. Chapter 6: The Cages

"Clear and shatter, Show me how beautiful I am! Aoikagami!"

"Break and scream, Karasumaru!"

"Spring to life and shout, Inuka!"

"Shoot your target, Sakuranbo Ite!"

"Take a seat, Kusoniwa!"

Five blasts of different colored light sprang to life.

Aoikagami's green light wove up and around Ummamachi's neck, chest, and arms. The green ribbon was twisted around Ummamachi's waist. Her white kimono vanished and was replaced by a long, open-sleeved top that exposed her midriff. Her legs were covered by green pants that had white trim and were pulled tight around her knees before flowing out and down. She was barefoot and her nails were painted green. Her hair was pulled away from her face by a pair of white clips that both said "mirror".

Karasumaru's orange light illuminated Kiba's face. It formed large spikes that came down and slapped onto Kiba's body. His hands were covered by orange gloves with black streaks on the finger tips. His unruly black hair was smoothed down and covered his left eye. It tucked behind his ear as his white kimono gripped some orange. From the ends of the sleeves and the bottom of the kimono, the orange bled inward. His shoes were now dark orange boots with dark gray soles. A chain dangled off his waist with a slab of orange metal that said "crow".

Inuka's bright red light just came down like a drape over Dog's shoulders. Dog, normally called Zoku, had black hair that was now streaked with red. The drapped light became nothing more than a red robe with gold lining. His hands were tattooed black and red. His face was coming to a snarl. His boots were a furnished red leather with black straps. Red pants and shirt topped it off. His sword was gone, replaced by small, marble-sized orbs, probably several dozen of them. Around Dog's neck was a black dog collar with a red tag that said "canine"

Instead of her old bow and quiver, Sakuranbo Ite's bright pink light no longer existed. It was a deep, fuchsia color. It shot up and then curved. It turned into a bow, just as tall as Hanako. She reached out as a pair of powder pink gloves with the pinkies and thumbs missing formed over her hands. When she gripped the handle, her slightly long hair in the back sprung up and stuck out in every-which way it chose. A pair of pink sakura's formed to hold her hair behind her ears. Her old scar was visible now. Her normally white sash turned a bright pink. Her toenails and fingernails were slashed pink and black. Dangling off the end of her quiver and the top of her bow were a pair of pink bars with "witch" and "cherry" on two different sides.

Kusoniwa's light wasn't green, as expected, but it was a dark blue. The light looked more like a cero, as it curved and came back to hit Garden, who was normally called Daichi. When it hit, vines spread out from Garden's back. They spread out until they made wings. Around his waist formed a green sash with blue streaks. The blade he held now had a rapier look. The guard curved to cover his hand. The blade itself was hued blue again. Dangling off his left ear, behind his dark blue hair, was a bar of blue metal. On all four sides, it said "garden".

The Arrancar were in awe at just how noble they looked. But it was Halibel who struck first. Obviously, she was mad at this pack of people taking out her subordinates.

Ummamachi's blade flashed and she was immitating Halibel. As if rage drove him, Yammy tried to get her from behind. But Hanako appeared in the way. She drew back her empty bow and aimed. At the last second, she let go and Yammy was forced back. The momentum of the shock made the two girls jump outside the blast range. Kiba's blade, a long-sworded thing, slashed down and cut Yammy's arm, but just a shallow cut.

"Now!" was all Kiba could yell before a barrage of arrows came down. With that settled, Kiba jumped off the street, breaking it.

They were moving so fast, Toshiro was having trouble watching them. Had this been what she'd advanced to when she left the Tenth Division? Had she become so fast that it was impossible to see her anymore?! Toshiro saw a flash of green and he jumped. Ummamachi's blade was blocking a killing blow from landing on it's target.

Looking up, Toshiro could clearly see Ummamachi's face. He'd grown used to the two green marks. But now that she had her back to the enemy with the blade holding them back, he could see it clear as day.

The triangles had split and became black-lined, jagged marks from her eye to her chin. Green spread like wild-fire across her forehead. It was amazing just how much tattoos she had now. Her neck was covered by green, scar-like marks.

Toshiro blinked when he saw a piece of paper fall between them. Looking at it, he realized it was a powerful seal used on powerful Hallows that were captured. Looking up, he saw Ummamachi was biting another one off her free left hand. When she tore it away, she twisted around and put her hand in Halibel's face.

"Shakkaho!" The red blast fired and the wind knocked Toshiro back. Halibel was blasted far away. She closed her hand and pointed it at Halibel. "Cero." A dark green, almost black, cero shot out of her fist.

"C-CERO?!"

She smiled back at Toshiro. "It's okay." She winked and Toshiro realized it wasn't a cero, it was just a very condensed Byakurai. "Toshiro!"

He looked and gasped. A Hallow, a normal Hallow, was only two inches from his face. Before he could raise his blade, it vanished. Toshiro looked up and saw Karin.

She smiled. "You really that slow?! You were faster the last time we met." She held out her hand. "C'mon, let's beat their butts into submission!"

Ummamachi looked back at Halibel. '_Hm, I wonder what that feels like. Love...._' She raised her glass blade and gently nicked her finger on the end. The blood dripped down the blade and the reflective surface cracked right down the middle. '_If I can win this, maybe I'll find out how strong I really am._'

"Mirror!"

She gasped and quickly pulled back, shooting above the barrier. "Sir."

"Mirror, there seems to be a problem. A Hallow has escaped and is chasing down Unohana! Save her."

"Sir!" She turned and crouched down. "Mirror, pulling back to bonsai sakura ume!" She shot off and left a little trail of moved air.

Crow sighed and then smiled. '_How like you. Your majesty, you haven't changed. Send in the strongest to protect._' He opened one eye and then laughed. "Ah, you're going to fight me seriously now, will you?" He smiled as he prepared to attack. Just then--

"Don't you dare, you sonuva--!"

Looking down, Crow spotted them. Sun-Sun, Mila Rose, and Apache. They were unscathed.

"No!" Crow muttered, grinding his teeth together. "They were dead!" His whispers didn't reach them, but he shot above the barrier. "Crow with a report! It seems the Arrancar that have been created can't be killed! Do you have any explanation as to why?!"

"No, sir! We're working on that! It would seem Mirror has already reported this! His majesty has his best working on it! Hold tight."

Crow shot back down and met Mila Rose head-on. The two of them were locked in a fight of strength. Crow started to advance, but he was knocked aside by Sun-Sun. He smiled an evil, toothy smile that looked more like a monster's smile. "You're going to pay for breaking my rib!" He reached up and over his head. Pulling a paper tag off his neck, his spiritual pressure exploded. "I won't forgive you for such nonsense."

"You don't scare me, boy!" Mila Rose said, raising her fist. "Come and get me!"

Apache smirked. "I see a blind spot!" she taunted.

Crow's eyes widened. '_Could they possibly see a blind spot in our bankai?! Machi! You're the weakest link! Don't let your guard down!_'

---Ummamachi---

She stopped dead in her tracks. Uryu, Ryuken, and Unohana were all caged. Standing beside the cage was Ulquiorra. That wasn't good....


	7. Chapter 7: The Reason

"Machi...."

She ground her teeth together and suddenly charged. Her white kimono made a soft flapping noise, like a flag in the wind. She wasn't about to tear off the tags on her neck and ankles. They were going to be her last to be removed.

Despite the low-level bankai's they performed, Machi had no intention of using the top-leveled bankai they'd been taught. As she neared, the cage was shoved in the way and she broke it through. She broke all the bars, slicing the top clean off with her unsheathed sword.

"Ulquiorra!" she screamed, slicing the air. A cero formed at the end of her blade. When she pointed it at the Arrancar, it exploded and the true cero shot out and split the air faster than lightning. But she'd missed.

Ulquiorra had jumped it. The cero hit the barrier and harmlessly lost power.

Ummamachi quickly scooped up Uryu and retreated with Unohana and Ryuken. When they were a safe distance away, she slowly set Uryu down. She noticed the family resemblance to Ryuken.

"Is he going to be okay?" Ummamachi asked, fear evident in her voice.

The Fourth Division captain just smiled her warm, motherly smile. "He's safe now. I've just got to make sure he doesn't strain himself just yet. Maybe tomorrow he'll be right as rain. You came just in time, Ummamachi."

"Y.... yeah...." Ummamachi touched her forearms. The absence of the paper made her flinch. She'd had to use her first-stage bankai. That took some pressure to use. She heard something before she felt it.

A hallow. A strong hallow. An Arrancar.

Ummamachi shot up, into the sky, drawing attention to herself. She raised her bare blade. "Crack and shatter! Show me how beautiful I am! Aoikagami!" The green blade erupted into light when the sun hit it. She stabbed her finger and the blood filled in the cracks. She lowered the blade so it was waist-high.

Ulquiorra was coming, fast and hard. He was even leaving a distorted image behind him as he broke the sound barrier.

Holding steady, Ummamachi was shoved back, pushed so hard she left a dust trail in the sky.

From below, Ryuken only saw something white hit Ummamachi and then an explosion of dust and then something shoot out of the dust cloud. It looked almost like an explosion had gone off. The dust was still rising and the little spec was rocketing back. It was Ummamachi first and the Ulquiorra, surging after her with a wild look in his eyes.

Ummamachi, just a few feet from them, turned around and pointed her blade straight between Ulquiorra's eyes. Suddenly, her blade erupted into a condensed, lime-green cero that blasted Ulquiorra. She twisted back around and landed. The blood was seeping deeper into the cracks until the blade started turning blue. She whipped around and held it up for the light to hit it. As if a ray of blue would help.

Just when Ryuken was about to join her, he saw something odd. Machi had no shadow. When the blade had been green, she'd had a shadow. Now it was blue and there was no shadow....

"Bankai! Aoikagami."

The blue blade's cracks snapped together and sounded like thawing ice. As it snapped together, all Ummamachi could think about was how many times she'd wished to never use her bankai. It was her strongest weapon and the only thing in her arsenal that could seriously damage a soul. Well, not "seriously damage", more like obliterate.

She reached up, over her head and under her collar. She pulled out a white, square paper that had the blank gotei mark with "mirror" written in the middle. As it left her fingers, the ground around her cracked and started to rise from so much pressure. Dust that had settled on her seemed to explode. It wasn't much stronger than Ukitake's pressure, but Ummamachi's pressure was probably more suppressed.

"Come, now I'll fight on a level playing ground!" She cut at her ankles and two more slips of paper left her. She seemed to float on a thin sheet of air before she crouched into a ninja's sword pose. The tip of the blade was even with her nose and the blade was deathly close to her face. However, she didn't stay that way long. Her eyes began to close. "Not yet. Hold on." She was whispering to herself, but being so close to the others, they could hear it. "I'm sorry, not yet. Please." Her eyes snapped open again. She twisted, moving her left foot from behind her to being the fore foot. She had swung the blade, passing it to her left, and it connected with Ulquiorra's blade. "Now that I have permission to do this, you won't stop me! A barrier's been placed and I won't be stopped by the likes of you."

"Really?" Ulquiorra was reaching out. "What drives you? Is it 'the heart' or 'the will' that drives you? Show me what it is."

By reaction, she kicked him. It seemed her physically power had improved as well. Ulquiorra shot into the air and didn't seem to stop. Ummamachi crouched and jumped, using a Flash Step and rocketing away.

"Yes." Unohana quickly scooped up Uryu. "Quickly, lead the way."

---Toshiro---

He was shocked at the dangerous amount of spiritual pressure. It was only one who'd taken off all his paper tags, Crow. The power he was emitting was so great that he was even starting to worry his comrades. However, Toshiro was more concerned with Karin.

She was bleeding and her inexperience was showing in her endurance. She was starting to wear thin and Toshiro didn't want Ichigo to be infuriated. He took off, past Yamato and intercepted Halibel's next blow. But as he did so, he saw that familiar black streak and pulled Karin back.

"KARIN?!"

She looked down as she and Toshiro rested on a fire escape. "Ichi-nii!"

He laned and looked down at her. "When--?! How--?!"

"I can explain." Yamato gave a kindly smile and nod to Ichigo. "To answer your first, obvious question, she's always been a shinigami. It's a worthwhile shot to ask her to fight. Secondly, she ate a piece of Soul Candy. The last thing is that she got these powers just like you. From a family inheritance."

Ichigo scratched his head and then shrugged. "If you say so...." He blinked and then shock took over his face. "Where's that coming from?!"

It wasn't the shinigami who felt it next, it was Karin. "It's like someone's crying. It's a sad feeling." She was also looking around. "The girl's upset about something."

Toshiro felt the wave of depression sweep over him and he reeled from it. Clutching his chest, he felt like his heart was being ripped from his chest. But something was familiar about this woman. And, as the presence of depression grew, Toshiro felt something harsher than that. He _knew_ this person....

"Machi!" He shot up and towards the top of the barrier. Inside the barrier, he wouldn't be able to sense where, but the moment he broke free of it, he felt the wave hit him harder than anything had ever hit him. He quickly wiped away tears and looked around. "MACHI! C'mon...."

All of a sudden, he saw her fall passed him when he turned around. She had blood coming from her stomach. Her eyes were faded. Quickly, she twisted around and landed on the barrier. Her blood was dripping off her, but she still shot back up. As she did, she reached up. Her hand seemed to rake her face. As she did, a white mask appeared. The left eye of the mask wasn't there and the mouth was broken in a silent scream. The one eye that was visible was no more than a little green dot. The mask finished materializing.

The mask looked like a tormented soul. A green mark had looked more like green blood bleeding from the invisible left eye. She screamed and it sounded more like a roar. Trailing behind her were huge shards of glass. She sounded infuriated.

Toshiro's heat suddenly twisted and he felt it ease just a bit. Was Machi having an internal struggle with herself? That wasn't like Machi. She had a level-head and never got upset or angry or fell for an emotional trick. Had something happened to her?

It dawned on Toshiro just then that he'd never known Machi outside of work. Was there something bothering her? That had to be it. But what?


	8. Chapter 8: The Dream

Uryu sat up fast and hard. He saw his father standing by the window and thought that something had happened.

"Father."

Ryuken didn't respond, he was looking out, across the city. "Uryu, you need to thank her when this is over."

It didn't make sense, but Uryu agreed. "But, father, who is 'she'?"

Ryuken glared at his son. "You'll find out if you watch the sky." He walked to the door and, without a goodbye or a get well, he slammed the door behind him.

Uryu slid off the end of his bed and went to the window. As he stood there, he saw his refection. A bandage covered his mid section and it all came flooding back to him. Ichigo had stabbed him and he'd hardly remembered what had happened after that. But his arm stung and he realized he was missing that arm. He tried not to panic. Maybe he'd be able to recover from it.

All of a sudden, Uryu felt something besides his own sorrow and he looked up. The sky was illuminated by a narrow cero that was lime-green. It shot across the sky and right over the hospital. Uryu's first reaction was to touch the glass, until he realized the pain was some kind of pressure.

And then he saw the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen.

She had beautiful black hair and the greenest eyes. She wasn't all beauty at the moment.

Blood trickled from somewhere under her hair line and she looked like she was dying. As she turned away, something hit Uryu.

He felt like he was falling and as he did so, he felt the overwhelming power of depression, broken dreams, and a loss of someone close. He had to suppress his scream before he was standing again.

He had a faint glow to him and the glow was resonating from inside him. He couldn't see more than four feet around him, and there wasn't much to see. All there was to see was just some black fog that wasn't lifting. He got the feeling this was a dream.... after all, dreams were meant to be somewhat real, right? They were things people wished would be real. This was a figment of his imagination.

Uryu put his hands out and slowly started walking. After about twenty paces, he saw something white. It was hard to make out with all the black fog exactly what it was. He was trying, pretty hard, to not run. Usually, if people ran to white things in the distance, it was actually the end of the tunnel that lead either to ascension or dissension, depending on the soul.

Then he heard a little sob and he was startled. Who would be crying in a place like this? It wasn't like anything Uryu had heard of in dreams. Was the white thing alive? Or was it a light?

As he neared, Uryu realized it was the girl he'd just seen. Kneeling down, he touched the top of her head. "Hey, are you okay?"

She flinched back, before she realized it was only a human. She flung her arms around his neck. "Help me. I can't do it...."

"Do what?" Uryu asked, unsure what she meant.

"Well, you see, I'm, um...." She rubbed the tears as best she could from her eyes. "My brother is...." She looked away and Uryu followed her gaze and realized he was floating between two, vengeful people. They were frozen in time.

Uryu looked to his left and saw that woman. She was frozen with tearful eyes and an angered face. The blood and her hair proved they were frozen solid. Looking to his right, Uryu withdrew. Ulquiorra was there. His face was full of revenge. His left arm was cut, badly, and his torso was also black with blood.

The two looked like they were about to strike the killing blow, but were slowed so far down, they stood still. Uryulooked down and realized this young girl looked like both of them. She had pale, ivory skin, bright green eyes, black hair, and wore a white kimono. She looked so peaceful, but her eyes were begging for help.

"That's you, isn't it?" Uryuasked, gesturing to the woman with tearful eyes. "What's your name?"

"M-my name is Machi...." She hiccuped and then swallowed. "S-sorry."

"It's, um.... okay." Uryu was trying not to say anything. He wasn't used to shinigami doing this. He must really be dreaming. "Why should I help you, Machi?"

"Ryuken!" She started crying again, rubbing her eyes as she did. "R-Ryuken s-said I could a-ask for h-help...." She looked upset and more like a child than a warrior. "H-he said th-that if I-I needed h-help I-I c-could ask a Qu-Quincy."

Uryu made a face. '_I hate you, dad. This isn't what I want to be doing on a nice day outside! I need to be helping Ichigo and the others, not doing what _you_want to do! Urgh!_' Uryu quickly recovered. "Hey, why don't you put me back and I can help."

"O-okay." She reached up a hand. As she did, Uryu saw something else. She blushed and then giggled before he was back in his body. He looked up and saw them like a still photo outside his window. Grabbing his cape, Uryu jumped out the open window. He wasn't going to just let the poor girl die.

But as he approached, Uryu could see Ulquiorra's eyes shoot downward and Uryu realized they weren't frozen. They were condensing their spiritual pressure so much that they were able to force it at each other. However, Ulquiorra's momentary lapse left an opening for Machi and she slashed his chest open. Her cut, when it came to his head, was too shallow and just nicked his mask. He glared at her and drew his sword around, full circle and the two of them clashed.

"Please! Don't you recognize me, Ulquo!"

"My name isn't some cheesy child's name! Stop pretending you know me!" Ulquiorra's blade nearly made it, if Uryuhadn't collided with Machiand the two of them spun wildly away. "I'm alone. There's nothing that can change that. I represent despair, as it takes you down to death. We all become lonely when we die. There's no escaping death all alone."

Machi was curled against Uryu's chest and she quickly pushed him back. "Gah! I got blood on you. My bad." She took out some kind of bottle and handed it to Uryu. "That was reckless of me." She laughed and it was obvious that she wasn't mad or anything.

"Machi...."

"I called out to any Quincy. I guess I get the son of one. Works for me." She shrugged. "You're just as strong as your father, I saw. So, don't worry, let your own conscious know that you're a great person all the same." She patted him on the shoulder. "Everyone has to make their own path, weather they realize it or not."

Right then, Uryu felt something warm from her. She was human, just like him. Were all shinigami human like that? How curious that she was like that and not high-strung by power or nobility or anything. She was just like a human in the sense that she always had a piece of something to cling to. Or maybe, when he felt that warmth, Uryu felt something more, something like himself.

"Uryu... sorry, I mean, Ishida-san?"

"Yeah." He was trying to figure out what to do with the bottle.

"Please, will you do me a favor?"

"Um, I think so." He uncorked the bottle and smelt something nasty. "Ugh! What is that?!"

"Cleaning solution. It smells really horrible, like rotten fruit, but it's good for blood removal." Machiwas wiping off her forehead and hands with a white cloth that smelled like the rotten fruits. "If you could, Ishida-san, could you, politely, shoot the Quincy arrows at Ulquiorra's feet. Don't hit him, just keep him moving."

Uryu tossed the bottle back to her. Once it contacted blood, the smell vanished and Uryu thought that would be a convenient tool to use when it came down to battle-worn cloths. "Very well, Machi." It hit him that he gave her no honorific. "Machi-chan."

"Eh?" She didn't seem to care either way.

"Nothing." He sighed and put his hand up. "How should I do that with one hand?"

"Easy, just focus. As long as you make a bow, I can be your other hand." She held up a little piece of paper. "In the meantime, while I'm fighting, you can use this." She grinned. "So, do we have a temporary truce?"

"Yeah...." Uryu raised his hand and held it, palm flat, to face Ulquiorra. "I can try it that way." He noticed Machi's hand came forward and drew back, an aqua colored arrow appearing. "You sure?"

"Well, if I use my cero, I can hit him, but your arrows still command you as a leader. Take the shot." She smiled. "If we die, we won't die alone. I can still be here to carry your memory and you can carry mine." Her smile seemed more from the heart than her words. All the same, though, she looked magnificent when she was happy.

The arrow split the air.


	9. Chapter 9: The Princess

Crow was crouched on a building nearby. He'd had to wipe a clean slate. Aizen was summoning someone. Crow had also pulled back the other Shinigami that weren't meant to be part of the fight. He had given Witch the job of healing Kurosaki.

Looking around, Crow saw that it wasn't another Arrancar. A gateway to the castle was opening. By reaction, the Zero Division hit the ground. Their left knee was pushed against their shoulder and their right was pressed to the ground. Their right hands were fists and their knuckles brushed the ground. Their left was across their chest and touched their right shoulders. They're heads were bowed and they showed no signs of rising to their feet.

Aizen smiled. "Ah, so, she did come." He looked at Gin and Tosen. "Come, our guest has arrived."

The duo agreed and stood behind Aizen.

But all of them were shocked when it was Machi who came through. She was dragging Uryu's body by the collar. Letting him lie near the door, she raised her glass sword and pointed it at Aizen. "Don't you know it's rude to keep knocking when nobody answers?"

"Don't you know it's rude to answer someone else's door?" Aizen demanded.

Machi just smirked. "Ah, still pretending to be tough and mean, are we?" Machi raised the blade above her head and stabbed it into the ground, one clean cut. "If that's the case, do you want to know where she is?"

"I don't need it from you," he said, drawing his own sword. "Although I'm not one for bloodshed, you've got nothing to do but step aside and die, or die standing in my way."

Machi just closed her eyes, smiled, and shook her head.

A voice of sweet music echoed over the heads of all those in battle. "Do you dare to defile my home? Do you wish to savor death that much?"

Aizen felt a shiver of fear in his bones and he took a step back. "Who--?!"

"Sosuke, I'm hurt you don't remember me." A woman stepped out. She wore her hair up in an elegant bun with two bejeweled pins sticking out to her left. She wore a rich red kimono with gold cranes and it dragged on the floor around her. She wore four kimonos under that one, in order of black closest to her body, white, green, and aqua. Her face was smooth and her lips were a lush red. Her eyes were piercing red.

Aizen glared at her.

Machi was kneeling like her comrades. "Your majesty, I still don't understand."

"Life is hardly understood. Now, Sosuke, do you wish to explain this?"

Shunsui looked up. That feeling. He feared it. It wasn't something he'd ever felt before and he was frozen solid with fear. Beside him, Ukitake clutched his stomach and started to vomit blood and stomach fluids. The feeling wasn't something they were trained to understand. Rarely did the royal family interfere with fights. All the Shinigami were trained to fight and not fear death. Death was the greatest fear. But this was greater, and Shunsui felt like he'd rather die than be in this presence.

He saw Aizen looking infuriated. Suddenly, Shunsui was forced down, onto his hands and knees. It was a collective mass of pressure. It wasn't from that fearful presence. It was from something higher than a captain.

Renji and Byakuya were slammed back to earth by that pressure and Renji tried not to get off his hands and knees. Slowly, it started to become clear to him what was going on. Looking up, he saw her and his eyes went wide. Suddenly, Byakuya's hand grabbed Renji's face and pulled it down so he looked at the ground.

"What?!"

"Don't look at her." Byakuya made sure Renji was looking down before he spoke. "That's our princess. Her royal majesty Princess Ukiko. She's the one who gives us our orders. That I know of, she's the only one who has the authority to have someone killed." He stared at his sword and hand. "She has the power to destroy someone with just one look. If you look at her and she doesn't like you, she'll crush you to death."

"How so?" Renji asked, lying on his stomach and lying his head sideways, preparing for a harsher blow.

"Do you feel that presence in the air?" Byakuya stayed as he ways and closed his eyes. "That presence is her weapon. It makes us all fear her and wish to die. It can drive us to killing ourselves."

Suddenly--

"Don't you raise your sword to her!"

Everyone looked up. It was the Zero Division. They stood as a wall between Aizen and Ukiko-hime. Their voices echoed like they were standing in a large opera house. But it wasn't their voices that made everyone look up, it was the fact that Aizen had drawn closer, his sword prepared for battle.

Machi, being the middle one of the five, raised her hand to her face. The other four followed suit. Blood stains were obvious on their cloths and they had all drawn their swords with their right hands. Their left hands pulled away from their faces and blank masks with a single crimson line appeared.

The pressure holding everyone down increased ten-fold and all of them were forced down, even Aizen. He, Gin, and Tosen plummeted to the ground, creating a huge crater. The three of them were still able to stand, but they looked like an extremely heavy weight was on their shoulders.

Aizen raised his sword and smiled. "Don't you think you're being a bit crazy? You want to take me on? After I killed so many of you guys?"

Machi moved forward. "If you want to be like that, shall I call you a name?" There was silence and Aizen stared at her. "Squiggles, you mind stepping aside so I can take back someone you've got under your control? Besides, Squiggle, I don't have a bone to pick with you, Witch does."

Witch lunged off the high platform that seemed to be holding them high and Princess Ukiko just smiled happily and let her go. Witch's hands wound back and grabbed her long sword. She drew it and it created a wave of energy when she collided with Aizen. Ukiko was looking around as they started their fights and she spotted the mortally injured Shinigami and she floated down to them, firstly was Karin.

She had landed beside Byakuya and Renji and was obviously not going to make it. Ukiko placed a small silver orb the size of dime in her folded hands. Once she'd done that, she advanced on Izuru, Shuhei, and the two injured women. Up close, Izuru was shocked at how gorgeous she was.

Ukiko was probably a very elegant woman and certainly deserved her title of princess. He quickly bowed, but she touched his chin, pulling his head up. "You don't have to do that. I don't mind you being polite."

Izuru jumped a bit. "Your majesty, thank you." He gave her a little bow.

"Who are these two?" She asked, moving Matsumoto's arms to see the extent of the damage from Sun-Sun, Mila Rose, and Apache. "I just want to know their names." She smiled and Izuru agreed.

"This is Vice-Captain Matsumoto of the Tenth Division. This is Vice-Captain Hinamori of the Fifth Division." Shuhei watched them as Ukiko put a small silver orb in each of their hands.

When she was sure they were secured, she began to focus her energy. Reaching down, she touched Matsumoto's hand and the two pins came out of her hair and hit the ground. They started to resonate, like a tuning fork. Her hair was flying around and her aura became visible. It was a deep purple with a gold flicker somewhere on it's edges. A green flash from the silver orbs and Matsumoto, Hinamori, and Karin were concealed by bright green half spheres.

As she stayed like that, Aizen appeared behind her, his blade poised to kill her. However, Ukiko was unable to move, as the resonating forks made her ears bleed slightly. She didn't see him, either and Izuru and Shuhei came forward to block him.

But Aizen wasn't alone. Gin and Tosen appeared and their blades flashed in the light of the sun.


	10. Chapter 10: The First

With a loud, echoing crack, Machi's kido barrier cracked right down the middle. She thrust her hands outward and the barrier forced Aizen back and shielded Izuru and Shuhei. She had to hold the shield for Ukiko.

Her kido finally broke and she surged forward to grab the two men when that gentle voice echoed over their heads again. Looking back from her crouching position, Machi saw Ukiko rise and turn about.

"Don't touch my people, Aizen." Her voice, which had called out "hey" just a moment earlier, was harsh and an impending fear split the air. Aizen took a step back. The princess advanced and the guards fell away, kneeling in her wake. Her anger was so fierce that Izuru and Shuhei, who were right in it's path and couldn't get away, were both covering their heads. She had a very presence that sparked a fear. "Don't you dare lay a finger on them any longer. My people will not fall until death whisks them away. That is why I could never take you as a guard. You asked and begged, but you didn't ever have the unwavering spirit these men do."

Machi took note of something and lunged forward. She used her own body to block a hit to Shuhei from Tosen. Raising her head, Machi growled at him, an unseen, feral part of her bearing it's teeth and ugly head at them. It was her feral part that made Tosen reel, not the sound she made. "Don't kick a man when he's down! Some warrior you are." She turned him over and sighed in relief. He had no serious wounds.

As she retreated with Shuhei, Crow surged forward and stopped Tosen from following them. He used his bare hands and was holding a sharp blade that drew blood. With a quick and easy sweep, Crow sent Tosen reeling back. There was a hiss in his ear and Crow raised his bloody hand to his left ear. "Crow."

Machi heard it too. "Mirror."

"There has been a fluxuation in power output down there. It seems Aizen has retreated for today and is simply pulling your leg. Escort her majesty back and we'll have time to clean up the mess." There was a pause. "Mirror, you may stay behind. There's something that needs investigating and we'll send a Hell Butterfly with the rest of the information."

"Yes, your majesty." Machi and Crow said.

"Hey, you ever going to take your mask off?" Machi asked. She reached up, grabbed Crow's face and pushed him aside. She smiled when he rolled and lay, spread-eagle, and face-down on the roof they stood on. "Besides, battles over, Kiba."

He rolled over and lay perfectly still. "Ah, who cares." Kiba took the mask off and sat up. "Heh. Should I go get taicho?"

"Yeah, that would be an excellent idea." Machi crossed her arms. "Now, would be good."

"Aha, okay, okay."

Ukiko, Izuru, Shuhei, Matsumoto, and Hinamori stared at them. Machi sighed and held out her hand and they all held their breath.

"Kiba-fukutaicho?"

He laughed. "Ah, forgot." He stood up on his own and tugged Machi's hair. "Number twelve, don't call me 'fukutaicho', alright? I told you I don't like that title. After all, you're the more experienced one in combat skills." He shrugged and stepped up to Ukiko. "Your majesty, let's be going. Your father's worried about you." He held out his hand like a gentleman and they walked through a gate, back to the palace.

Machi was left standing alone before the Gotei and she shrugged. "Stop looking at me." She crouched low and bowed her head. She twisted around and lunged away form them, vanishing into thin air just inches off the ground.

Shuhei tried standing and helped the others up when he could. Witch, or Hanako, certainly had a lot on her plate. He didn't see how anyone could be that strong. It was either physically impossible, or it was spiritually impossible to house such power! Something must make them strong.

"Stop thinking on it so hard." Izuru was dusting himself off. "It's something I've wondered for a long time and asked your girlfriend. She doesn't explain much." He looked at Matsumoto and gave a little smile. "But she does have her reasons."

Matsumoto understood. "Well, don't we all?"

Shuhei rolled over and curled up. That was true. Since when had Hanako talked about her work-related life? She said it was too stressful to deal with all the time. She always loved Shuhei's company, and some days she loved it more than others. Was it possible that these were the days she longed for all his attention? He decided that, from now on, Hanako would get his full, undivided attention when she came to him unexpectedly.

"Hisagi?"

He looked up. It was Hanako. She held her hand out and he took it. "Hana."

She smiled brightly. "Shuhei!" She flung her arms around him and he noticed that Machi stood nearby, watching everyone else except them. Hanako noticed his glance and chuckled. "She's never been in love and nobody's ever loved her. She doesn't know how to react in this kind of situation. Shuhei, don't be upset with her, but that's how Machi is and has been. She may not look it, but she's been burned in the past by love and today's fight proved she might have more on her plate than she'd first anticipated."

He shrugged. "Can't we find her a boyfriend?"

"Well, she's been looking, but nobody likes the Zero Division's women." She wrinkled her nose.

"Why?"

"Because we're not up to physical standards, Hisagi." Machi was looking at her feet and she kept scuffing the dirt off the pavement. "You'd better hop to it, it looks like they're starting to clean up. Maybe Aizen will show up next time. But next time, I warn you, he'll be ready. The Zero Division is being sent on a very distant mission. We have to travel to the Hallow Forest. It seems there's been a recent flux in the number of Jillian that live down there. The Vasto Lordes have also been increasing. I hope, to all gods, that we come back alive."

Shuhei just smiled. "I think I see it now. You're physically attractive, but you lack the knowledge to flirt."

"I know that. Thank you Tosen and Kyoraku for that." She crossed her arms and leaned on a light pole. "I've taken a shine to some men, but those two make me wonder if having a boyfriend's worth the trouble they can cause. For a short time, I loved Gin. That didn't last long." She waved her hand under her face, like she was dusting off a nasty little smell. "He didn't show interest, so, I befriended him. That's the closest I've come to a boyfriend or husband or fiancee. All the same, I don't feel obligated to be with a man."

"You should," Hanako and Matsumoto said in unison.

"Oh? Why's that?"

Matsumoto responded with; "Well, for starters, it gives you a reason to come home alive. For another, it means someone can protect you instead of you being the protector all the time."

"Plus," Hanako continued, "you won't have to fight alone. In your heart, you fight with him at your side." She smiled brightly and squeezed Shuhei's hand gently. "I have to go. Time for work, Shuhei."

Machi made a "whatever you say" motion before tapping thin air. At first, the air rippled, and then it fuzzed and a solid door appeared. It was beautiful, almost like the ornate door the princess had emerged from, but a little less decorative. The four doors opened and Machi turned half-way back to Hanako. As the two girls walked into the door, two Hell Butterflies zoomed in to join them. One came out and floated before the door and vanished with the door.

Shuhei looked at his hand and remembered something. Reaching into his top, he pulled out Hanako's locket. There was a ring attached to the same chain and he stared at them both. "Yes, a boyfriend makes you realize just how important you can and will be."

---Machi---

She collapsed, panting hard. Maybe she shouldn't have wasted so much on them. They were all strong Arrancar. Now, she had to fight with Jillian. She didn't have enough energy to keep going if they didn't take a break. She was about to suggest that when she heard it.

The deafening crack of a Kido barrier flying to pieces.

Machi's head snapped up and she saw a Jillian coming down on her. Without much energy left, she'd have to wipe her face clean soon and use her full strength. But to do that, she'd cost herself something very precious. She touched her heart.

The hard part of being in the Zero Division was knowing that you were born from both Hallows and Humans. Unlike Quincey and Shinigami beings, to be part Hallow and part Human was a very hard thing to accept. Furthermore, it was impossible to revert back to a human state once the Hallowfication process took over. That was what the marks around their eyes were, to stop their body from progressing. If she changed now, she'd never get to talk to her new friend Ryuken again.

"MACHI! Release it! Let it out!"

Crow's face was clean. He was sprouting the features of his Hallow.

Like most in the Division, Crow had a human-like Hallow. The difference was in power and speed. Crow was the strongest of the fastest. He was a true-blue crow and his orange hair turned into a long mane of feathers running down his back. His eyes became yellow through and through. His body looked like an angel with a bird's head.

But it wasn't his shape that surprised Machi, it was the fact that Kiba had come here rather than complete his duty. Her eyes widened and she looked away, towards another part of the grove to see an explosion of pink aura.

Hanako's long branches wove out like a spider weaving it's web. Hanako was a tree-like Hallow that could use trees and other living objects to her advantage. Machi closed her eyes and tried to deny it. She didn't really have a reason to fight at full strength.

Was there someone waiting for her?

Ryuken's face flashed before her. She felt that warm, fatherly heart inside him. It wasn't like any other man. But as she thought about it, his face shattered.

Uryu's arrow split the air.

Machi's eyes flew open and the marks vanished from her face. "It doesn't matter anymore! I don't care! You'll all get in my way! You always get in my way of a normal life! It doesn't matter how hard I try! I just don't have time!"

Her teeth and physical body changed and Machi pulled the glass blade from it's hilt and stabbed her hand so blood dripped into the hole left by the missing blade. A deep red sword flared in it's place and the two grew onto her arms. Her teeth finally completed their growth and were long, almost passed her neck. Her eyes were the sharpest green. Her cloths resembled those of a Victorian Era duke. Her hair was standing on end, giving her body a wild look.

"Poise, Vampiro!"


	11. Chapter 11: The Person

"Vampiro?"

Ryuken looked sideways. Uryu had started his nap and he'd muttered at his chair.

"Vampire? Why would you mention that...?" He gasped.

'_I'm not really human. My real name is Resplandor Solar del Vampiro, Quincey. I chose a name that I thought was beautiful._' She'd smiled at that point and pointed at the sun. '_But I can't live without the sun. It gives me hope and warmth that I can still survive._'

"Machi...."

Uryu stirred and then sat up-right rather quickly. "MACHI!"

Ryuken looked away. His son would've been perfect. He and Machi would've had a good time together, as partners. He wasn't sure how far "partners" refers to them. He touched Uryu's old books on the shelves. "What about her?"

Uryu seemed to be trying to figure that out and he finally spoke up. "Dad, did you meet Machi? Cifer Ummamachi? She's a very kind girl. Do you know her?"

"What if I said yes?"

Uryu didn't look at his father, he looked down at the open book in his lap. "Because I want to see her again. I want to know what it is that makes me so drawn to her." He threw the book on the table. "Dang. If only I knew why!" He threw himself back onto the back of the sofa. "I saw her, in my dream. She wasn't human anymore. She was too perfect to be human. She was too fast, too perfect, too strong to be human."

Ryuken looked out at the darkening sky. Machi had said she'd love to talk to Ryuken again. That she'd never met such a nice friend. Was she lying all this time? Had she pulled his leg to see if he'd let her bite?

---Machi---

She growled menacingly at the Hallow and killed it with one swipe. She saw some of them escaping to the human world and she lunged after them. Her spiritual pressure exploded and she saw none of the humans react to it. Was it because they didn't know? She didn't care. She had to kill as many of them as she could. Kiba's body had been marred by them and now he was running back to the Soul Society. It was impossible to know what they meant, what business they had.

She saw a Jillian heading for Ryuken's hospital. She took off after it.

"NO!" she roared, her voice reverberating with such a fury that it scared the Jillian into stopping and turning around. She reached out and, with an all-mighty pull, she tore the mask off the Jillian and it vanished. Covered in blood, Machi started breathing heavily. "Don't you _DARE_ come this way!" She lunged back, her pressure exploding again. She knew what Aizen had done now, after this fight had been brought here.

He'd tricked them all.

Aizen had made Machi believe she was really fighting him, but all she had been doing this whole time was fighting Jillian-class Hallows. Fury drove her and she was tearing through the Jillian like they were clouds or mist. Her all-mighty roar vibrated the air and shook dust off nearby buildings. One of which she got a Quincy shot from.

Reeling back and wiping around, Machi's green eyes met his cold eyes. She knew why he was angry. The Jillian was causing her frustration.

She slowly glided towards him and he raised his bow, aiming quite a ways away from her and fired. She landed behind him and crouched down. This was how she'd been before her human form came along. Furious at everything and unable to control any of it. Calming herself as much as she could, Machi looked up and around.

The Jillian closest to them ate another Jillian and became a makeshift Arrancar. She came bolting down, right for Machi.

Again, anger consumed her and Machi roared. Her deafening roar shook the building she stood on and she took off, leaving a small ditch in the roof. She clashed with the new Arrancar, her hands growing it's nails. She slashed and kicked at the Arrancar, tearing it apart with her bare hands. The fury didn't stop when she knew the Arrancar was dead, she kept going and it scared the other Jillian back to their forest. She was about to chase them when a sharp, immeasurable pain shot though her shoulder and she saw the arrow split right through her shoulder and fly harmlessly into the sky.

As she fell, Machi saw the moon and a figure flashed in front of it. It was Ulquiorra and she reached out to him, her body unrecognizable as Machi. She had completely reverted back and it would take time for her to return to her human state. Closing her eyes she fell back to earth, back to him.

---Uryu---

He pushed the doors open.

The underground training facility his father had built was quite the place to be when you wanted some peace and quiet. He spotted her. Just like his father had said.

"So, he brings you here after he shoots you?"

Machi certainly didn't look like Machi. Her face was consumed by a Hallow's mask that was stern and had no eyes. It had a mouth composed of two rows of flat teeth and two, larger-than-life canine teeth. Her body was stretched. She looked like she was made of toothpicks and her back bore six, large, pure white bat wings. She was immensely graceful, for a Hallow, but her face wouldn't look in Uryu's direction.

"Hey! Are you alive?"

She moved her hand and pointed to her shoulder. It was broken alright. When she spoke, there was the Hallow's reverberating echo. "Can you help me? I was hoping your father would ask you to help me. I can see I was wrong."

Uryu knelt beside her. He was half her size in height, but he could still clearly see the bits and pieces of her human self. He was still reeling from knowing he was still in one piece, that it had all been a dream of sorts. But to see Machi all broken and unable to be human, he thought she was perfect just the way she was. She was perfectly imperfect compared to many of the Shinigami he'd met.

"Uryu, right?"

"Mm." He started to peel back the bandages.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Anything except if I can put these back on." He was disgusted by just how nasty the bandages were. They were sopping with blood and it dripped through his fingers and onto the floor as well as all over his arm. "What is it?"

"You ever feel like someone completes you? Makes you believe in a higher price for your life, Uryu-san?"

He stopped and looked at her. Never before had someone asked him that. "No, can't say I have. There have been times when I've thought that may be true." He took the finally bandage away and his eyes widened.

There was broken skin under her white exterior.


	12. Chapter 12: The Things

Karin opened her eyes and sat up a bit too fast. Her head throbbed slightly. She looked around and saw her father sitting on the end of her bed with his back to her. "Dad?" she asked, wearily reaching out.

"Karin." He raised his head but didn't look at her or face her.

"Dad, what's wrong?"

Slowly, words seemed to form in his mouth. "Karin, you're just like Ichigo." He turned around then and his eyes were sincere. "You've inherited my Shinigami powers. You've developed much faster than Ichigo did. Yamato told me so when he brought you back. He told me how you can release Bankai and survive blows with an Arrancar."

"What're you talking about, dad?" she asked, trying to smile and hide it.

"Don't pretend. I saw you. It's okay. You're not as ready as Ichigo was. I want you to pretend like it was a dream. You and I will continue with our lives as they are. We won't turn around and start down Ichigo's path." He gave his sad, fatherly smile. "I won't ever change how much I love you just because you've grown up. You and your sister are my world now. Ichigo is beyond my reach. I still have a chance to be a father."

Karin understood that her father wasn't about to let his old life ruin his new one. She realized, in just that moment, that he hadn't aged since his wedding day. His features had stayed the same, like some otherworldly creature that had come to be her father. He was still Kurosaki household's head. That would never change.

"Dad, nothing stays the same. But it's nice to forge ahead anyways. Being uncertain makes it an adventure." She smiled.

Her father didn't say a word, but stared at her in utter wonder, until--

"KARIN!"

"Y-Yuzu!" Karin was forced back into the pillows by her sister and she smiled. "I'm sorry, did I worry you?"

"Yes! You snored! You never snore! You haven't slept in days! Don't do that to me, Karin!"

"I-I'm sorry!"

Outside, standing on a house roof across the street, Toshiro watched her through the glass. Karin hardly smiled, he'd noticed that. Reaching up, he put his hand on the top of his head and closed his eyes. She'd been spared from another unworthy, destructive, blood-thirsty Hallow. Would he have been strong enough to protect her? Would he even be able to even put a dent in Halibel if it had been the real her? He doubted she'd returned home if he'd been up against the real thing.

He turned to leave. There was someone he had to see. He'd felt her presence and had to know for himself.

Tracking it, Toshiro came to the underground training area for Urahara's shop. He snuck down there and stood on a tall rock formation, watching her. She still hadn't the strength to fight without her men. Would she be able to stop Aizen from summoning her greatest fear?

"Hitsugaya-taicho, care to join me?"

Toshiro flinched at that sweet voice. Never before had he seen her face and she faced away from him at the moment. Ukiko-hime never showed her face unless she trusted the person she showed it to. He saw her turning around. "Y-yes!"

She turned and smiled at him. She was absolutely stunning and Toshiro was reminded, vaguely, of an angel from all those Christian books. She could've sprouted wings just then and fly away like she was really an angel and Toshiro wouldn't know the difference. Ukiko, no matter what light she stood in, she was absolutely beautiful.

"Come. I want to know your power. I've heard it's quite strong for a little one."

Normally, Toshiro would've been mad, but, for some reason or other, he felt calmed and natural. He jumped down and drew his sword. He saw that there were only three guards, all of whom backed away. Toshiro didn't see Machi's mask and he looked right into Ukiko's unchanging eyes. "What happened to Ummamachi?"

"We're not sure." Ukiko's unchanging eyes pierced Toshiro's with ease. "If we knew, do you think I would leave her here? She disappeared last night. Somewhere in Karakura Town. To where she vanished, I have no idea. In the meantime, I suggest you try to remember that I'm just as worried."

Toshiro nodded. He was about to release his zanpakuto when there was a noise of someone running towards them. Both turned to look and saw Uryu.

"Hitsugaya! I don't know what happened! I need help!"

"Ishida-san, what is it?"

Uryu came to a skidding halt and tried to speak while he caught his breath. "She just.... the sky.... dad shot her in.... she's bleeding like.... looks like a monster.... I don't know anymore...." He doubled over and put his hands on his knees. His breath was still coming up short.

"Who?"

"M-Machi. She came to our world while fighting the Jillian. She was taken down by my father when she was Hallowfied. He shot her in the shoulder. It wasn't s-something I was planning to be c-coming to you for." He finally caught his breath and stood up straight. He was still panting, but not as hard. "She's badly injured and we don't know what to do. Somethings aren't as easy as I thought."

"You said she was fully a Hallow. How could that be if she survived a Quincey arrow?" asked Garden, coming forward.

"Don't ask me! I don't know!"

"Come to think of it, Crow and Witch haven't returned from the Menos Forest. I wonder if something happened to them...."

Toshiro's eyes widened. His old captain was injured? What did they mean "fully a Hallow" anyways? "Hey, wait! Did something happen to Cifer-taicho?!"

Garden shrugged. "It's hard to say. In the Menos Forest, we can't sense each other. We hide as best we can. Something must've happened for her to turn into a full Hallow in such a short time. When ever she got here, we've got no time now. Your majesty, you must return to the Soul Society. We must attend to our wounded."

"Right. Perhaps Unohana should do it."

"I'll wait here for her." Toshiro stood tall and they all nodded.

Uryu sat down, still breathing hard. "I'll wait for her, too. I'm out of breath from running so long."

---Machi---

When she opened her eyes, she saw the ceiling again. She closed her eyes and tried to move her shoulder. It was still broken and she could feel the rest of her body was starting to bleed out more and more. Slowly, she knew she was dying.

"Cifer-taicho?"

Her eyes flew open. Toshiro's head took up most of her vision of the ceiling. How'd he know it was her?

"Cifer-taicho!" His face portrayed worry. "Cifer-taicho, does it hurt?!"

She reached up and put a clawed hand on his head. "Shut it. I'm not your captain anymore, remember?"

"Ah, sorry." He backed off and she felt something warm washing over her. "Be careful!"

"I will be."

"Ah, Unohana." She smiled. How like the Soul Society to send a specialist on healing. "Have you heard from Kiba?"

"No. Not recently." Unohana's eyes became cold. "You seem to be the only survivor at the moment."

Machi closed her eyes, her smile remaining. "Ah, yes, the lone wolf stands alone." She let her body relax and she felt it reverting, slowly, to her Arrancar state. It was easy to move like that, but she did wonder how Unohana had gotten into the training facility if it belonged to a Quincey. "I thought the Quincey dogma wouldn't allow you in here."

Ryuken answered that. "I don't intend to be cleaning your blood for long."

"Ouch, that's cold." Machi didn't open her eyes. She didn't have to to know that Ryuken was glaring at her. She'd already stained too many of his useful bandages. She'd already used up a few bottles of peroxide as well as a few of his vials of antibiotics for knife wounds. She understood his frustrations with it. "How long?"

Unohana didn't answer at first. "It'll be a few days before we see your old face again. It seems you were hit pretty hard by a Cero. I wonder what happened to you...."

Machi suddenly threw her fist into the barrier and broke it. "Don't ask me." She walked away, into another corner. Settling there, Machi touched her arm with a very human hand and began to heal it herself. "I don't want to go back. It's not my place. Perhaps my place should be with those who find joy in torment." She sighed. "Like I really deserve something that's 'so much fun' like this. Look, just leave me be. I don't even know why you guys are here."

Everyone pointed at Uryu and he jumped. "I, uh, well.... HEY! IT'S NOT MY FAULT!"

Machi looked away and snorted. She wasn't used to this kind of treatment. Nobody treated her like a fellow comrade. "If it's not your fault, then throw me a dictionary so I can define what 'your fault' is." She smiled.

"Hey! No comments from the peanut gallery!" Uryu yelled.

Machi shrugged and looked away. "Who said I was the peanut gallery?"

"Hey! I just said--"

Machi was up in his face. "And I said that I wasn't the peanut gallery." She put her forehead to his and he reeled back from the impact. "Besides, Unohana worked faster than I'd thought. I actually feel like I could run a mile backwards." She flexed her hands as she spoke. "But my body's still trying to recover. No wonder I came too close. Sorry." She shrugged and touched his forehead.

Uryu looked away, slapping her arm. "Peanut gallery." He turned around and--

WHAM!

Uryu went face down. "Hey! I said I wasn't the peanut gallery!"

Ryuken just adjusted his glasses and watched from the sidelines with Toshiro, Unohana, and Urahara as the two bickered.


	13. Chapter 13: The Beginning

Karin came with Yuzu to do her "shopping" and they came to a dingy little store. She didn't bother asking why, she just followed her sister.

When they entered the shop, Karin saw a woman helping to stock the shelves. She had beautiful black hair tied back in a very simple ponytail. Her skin was almost white and her eyes, fixed on the sweets she was trying to level and evenly distribute, were a piercing green. It almost intimidated Karin to see her. But she wore a simple, red apron and a white tee shirt to clash with both the apron and the blue jeans.

She didn't seem to notice Yuzu, but her guidance did.

He poked his head around and Karin was shocked. It was Uryu!

"Ah, hi!" Uryu smiled and it startled the girl and she hit one box. She scrambled and grabbed it away before it disrupted the other ones. "Can I help you?"

"Nope, not yet." Yuzu smiled. "C'mon, Karin, you can help me carry the stuff!"

As they shopped, the girl was sent about, learning how to put objects on the shelves, but she didn't face Karin and Yuzu. She faced them only with her right side. She never let them see her left side. After a while, she was sent out to help Ururu sweep the front of the store. It was then that Karin took the liberty to peek.

She had a huge, vertical slash down her face. She was missing her eye and her raw cheekbone was exposed.

Karin shrieked and the girl jumped away, hiding her huge scar and ducked behind the door. Karin pointed and it brought Ururu, Uryu, Urahara, and Jinta into the main store. They saw her hiding and Karin pointing at the door.

Uryu quickly threw himself in the way. "Hey! Wait, before you ask, there's a reason!"

"You-she-no way! She's gotta be in a hospital! She doesn't belong here! Get her medical attention! Quick! I don't know what's wrong with her, but you can't just ignore her like that!" Karin was yelling at the top of her voice.

Uryu was about to explain when the girl poked her head out. "No, I can't go to a hospital."

"Why?! You're hurt!"

"Because, Kurosaki, if I go to a hospital, they'll see that it's healed. I'm not normal anymore. I can't have it patched up."

Karin's anger dissipated just then and she dropped her arm. "It healed like that? What happened to you?"

"Um, Murphey's Law is what happened."

Karin's jaw dropped. "WHAT?!"

---Ukitake---

He leaned back and his white hair stuck to his cheeks. He'd just had another episode of coughs and it wasn't seeming to get him any closer to being better. He picked up the paper and looked at it. The stats were astronomical and didn't make sense.

Machi and Kiba's presence had caused a huge flux in the Menos Forest? How had so much concentration of activity be just because two Shinigami appeared? He didn't get it and decided to put the paper back down.

As he did, he heard someone move in the hallway. His head turned and looked towards the door. It slid open and his eyes widened. He quickly stood up.

---Ryuken---

"C'mon! Please!"

"NO!" He cleared his throat. "What part of 'no' didn't you get the first time?"

"WHY?!"

Ryuken snapped. He reached out, grabbed Machi by the face and pulled her close. "Do I look like a rain man to you?!"

"Mell, no, mot reamy."

"Then stop asking me!" He pushed her back. Turning around, he crossed his arms.

"Uh...."

He wiped around and slammed his hands on the wall to either side of her. "WHAT?!"

"Uh...." She raised her finger like she was going to speak, but she gawked at him for a second. Machi pitched forward and knocked Ryuken pretty good on the head. "BREATH MINT! SERIOUSLY!" She waved her hand and plugged her nose. "Seriously."

He sighed and got up. His forehead was a slight pink and he was now the angriest man in the world. "Leave." She didn't budge. "NOW! OUT! NOW!"

Machi scrambled for the door. When she yanked it open, she ran right into Uryu, who still had his hand raised. "Ack! Hi...." She looked away, hiding the scar again.

"What was that all about?"

"Ask him. He's the one denying it." She waved as she walked passed him. "He thinks I want a rain-maker!"

Uryu stared after her.

"She wants me to find a way to make Karin forget what she saw today." Ryuken adjusted his glasses. "She thinks she might've destroyed Karin's psyche. So far, Kurosaki hasn't come crawling to me, so, I won't do it." He looked out the window. "But she's certainly kept me on my toes."

"Well, that's not why I'm here."

Ryuken closed his eyes and braced himself.

"How would you feel if I started to.... see her?"

He smiled and then sighed, whipping the smile off his face. He turned around. "If that's what you want. You never asked for my permission for anything. It seems more like you to just go ahead and ask later."

"I'm asking because she wants your permission before I even hold her hand." Uryu shrugged. "I could've lied to her, but I can't. It's not part of the Quincey teachings to lie. Unless you warp the truth." He'd taken a stab and it had worked.

Ryuken put his hand on the bookshelf of his office. He didn't show Uryu, but he clutched his chest for a second. "Fine. Do whatever you like. You haven't the time to bother to come and see me otherwise." He made his usual 'tsk' sound and pushed off the shelf. When Uryu bowed out, he stared at the door. Something had just hit him harder than an eighteen-wheeler in a train wreck. "You've never asked me about a girl."

---Machi---

She was staring at the ice cream guy. She didn't get why everyone was running to him to buy those strange colored objects they licked and watched melt. What was that stuff they were eating? It looked good, why else would they jump up and down for it? But what was it made of? Was it healthy? Did it have a flavor? She had no idea, but what did they trade for something like that?

In the Soul Society, the Zero Division hardly indulged in more than the necessities. They weren't allowed fancy rooms, a good portion to be paid, good sleeping equipment, or even decent cloths for pleasure time. As a matter of fact, the Zero Division only spent about twenty hours of pleasure time a week.

"Want some?"

She looked up and Uryu pointed. "I'll buy you some."

"Wait!"

He was already heading over there and Machi sat back. Was it good enough to have someone so cynical want it?

He returned with a pink one and a creme one. He handed her the pink one and she thought he was being insulting, as she was a girl.

"It's strawberry."

She reached out to take it and her fingers brushed against his skin. That sent goose flesh all over her. "What is it?" She was about to take a huge bite when Uryu stopped her.

"That's not a good idea. Ice cream is something like frozen creams with different flavors." Uryu leaned back on the bench and started to lick at his.

She made a face and he shrugged. "If you don't want yours, I'll--"

"NO!" She held it away. "Its just that...." She stared at it and took a nibble. It did taste something like a strawberry and she gasped. It was like eating frozen creams. She started to nibble at it, watching Uryu. He finally started to eat the brown part of the ice cream. She looked at her's and realized that was how she held it. The brown thing was warmer than her lips right now and she took a bite. It was a waffle. "Wow! It's good." She smiled.

Uryu nodded and took the last bite of his. "It's ice cream." He used a napkin to clean his mouth. "It's a perk of being human. You have a lot of things to have."

Machi lowered her ice cream and stared at it. "This is something I'm not used to having. Zero Division hardly spends time on themselves. We're so worried about everyone else that we don't even have time to express ourselves." She watched a small drop of strawberry ice cream slide down and onto her hand. "I've always wanted to spend time here. I've always wanted to have someone be my best friend. I even wanted to have someone just treat me normally."

"And?"

"The Zero Division is more focused on battle techniques and real-life scenarios. All I've ever wanted was a chance to open up and be normal. It's nice. A few weeks ago, when you called me the 'peanut gallery', it was fun. I felt normal. That's why I fought you so hard." She sighed and finished off her ice cream. As she was licking her hand clean, she continued. "Your dad, Ryuken, he's a very good friend. I think I could've loved him, if I was much older, physically. He likes to just talk."

"Yeah, to you." Uryu looked away and watched a couple of kids playing on the monkey bars. "He doesn't say much to me."

"Really?" Machi leaned over and closer to Uryu. "Because all he talks to me about is how great his son is and how proud he is."

Uryu's face changed colors faster than lightning. He quickly changed the subject. "How did your gigai end up with such a scar?"

"Um, that would be my Murphey's Law and Toshiro's."


	14. Chapter 14: The Law

Uryu stared at her. "What?"

Machi sighed. "It's a long story. I'll make it simple for you...."

---one-hundred years ago---

Machi was sprawled out on the nice lawn in the park. She was waiting for Toshiro. She was currently wearing her gigai and was in plain site. She didn't care that men were staring as they walked by, but she was waiting for Toshiro. She had to wait for him.

"Oi."

She smiled but didn't open her eyes. "Ready?"

"Whatever."

Sitting up, Machi pointed at the sky. "Look, Toshiro." She looked over her shoulder and smiled. "Pretend your a cloud. It helps you relax. It's not exactly the best way, but it works."

"No, it doesn't." Toshiro crossed his arms. "It's a pointless exercise that does nothing but put one to sleep. Now get up. What's this 'most important mission' that we've been sent on?"

"Ah, you're no fun." She got up and dusted the grass off. "Let's go, party-pooper." She picked up her bag and started walking. Toshiro looked like her little son and she didn't pretend he wasn't related. "So, since you're helping me as support, do you think we should make it an adventure or a plain-Jane mission?"

"Heck if I care."

She smiled. Today, they were going to find a Hallow disguising itself as a human and it was actually killing human souls, making them unable to exceed into the next life. Today was also Toshiro's last day of his first week, but also Machi's last day. It was something that neither of them knew would happen.

Machi rounded a corner and stopped. "Ah, that was fast. We've just started, but we found him!" She reached into the bag and pulled out her sword. "So, want to fight?" Toshiro threw his gigai aside and lashed out first. "Wait! You need something planned first! Toshiro!"

He didn't realize the Hallow could attack back. It slashed the air and it caught Toshiro right across the chest. He wasn't cut deep, but Machi charged right on in. She had two blades and she was fighting pretty good.

In her right hand was a red blade and in her left was a glass, blue blade. She had no shadow. Toshiro also took note that Machi's hands were bleeding profusely. Her eyes were closed tight and she was fighting blind because of that.

"Open your eyes!" Toshiro demanded. "Cifer-taicho! Open your eyes!"

"I can't! As payment for using my second stage, I can't open my eyes without killing everything within a fifty-mile radius! You'll die, Toshiro. I won't let that happen!"

"But he'll--!"

---Uryu---

"You know Murphey's Law, right?" Machi touched her face. "Anything that _can_ go wrong, _will_ go wrong."

"Yeah, so, what happened?"

---one-hundred years ago---

"No! I have to! Until you're smart enough, Toshiro, you need help." Machi swung about and both blades stabbed into the Hallow's arm. It screeched and brought it's arm down. It slashed down vertically.

The way Machi was standing, the cut came right down, passed where her chain would've been. The blood splattered all over the ground and she opened her eyes. A wild, animal in her roared and she attacked with all her fury.

Toshiro gasped. Her green eye was staring up at him from the floor. It was sliced right across the cornea. He reached out and slowly picked it up. Was she going to die? At that, he looked up just in time to see another hit land.

It was right across her neck. Machi slammed into the wall and there was a deafening crunch as the left side of her face went right into the wall. She didn't move as she lay at the bottom of the wall. Toshiro didn't know what to do. He wasn't specifically trained for real combat. He was scooting back when Machi's glass sword stabbed right through the Hallow's mask and it screeched before dying. Machi let her arm drop.

"Toshiro...." Her face was deformed and she looked away. Her arm was broken, that much was obvious. "Call for Unohana. I need help. I don't think I can walk very far."

When she did arrive, Unohana declared her initial findings.

"You've got half your ribcage broken, your arm, seven fingers, both your shins, your shoulder, your jaw, and you've got a concision. And that's just the surface! What were you doing, battling an ox?"

"Um, more like a demonic ox, yeah." Machi smiled.

"You've got more problems to deal with." Unohana touched her face. "You'll never be able to see out of this eye, even as a Shinigami. Ummamachi, do you realize just how much trouble you cause?!"

"Um, yeah, sort of." Machi gave a weaker smile. "So, um, I can be fixed, right?"

"With your healing record, I can see that happening." Unohana reached out to start the lift when there was a loud screech.

It was a semi-Hallow, semi-human. It was an Arrancar. Standing up, Machi ignored the pain and drew her sword. It was Cirucci. She smiled and cracked her whip, sending the deadly weapon at Machi. She twisted and used her sheathed sword to deflect it back. "Get out of here! I can hold her off."

---Uryu---

He stared at her.

"That cost me everything. I lost my job when I got back. They said it was against a captain's duties to fight an Espada alone. I didn't know she was an Espada. But at the same time, the Zero Division took interest in me." She touched her marred face. "My physical body can't grow the skin and muscles back. My Shinigami can't see out of this eye. But my Hallow self can see all through both eyes. That's why I'm always so pale. Hallows don't usually come in brown."

Uryu nodded and looked away. "But Toshiro told me that day, a few weeks ago, was another Murphey's Law to add to your list."

"Yeah, it was." Machi sighed and laid her head on the bench. She propped her feet on Uryu's armrest. "And it's because I screwed up. I let you almost die. I caused a massive explosion, and I spent so much time trying to do things quickly. I was being so animal that I forgot to be human."

Uryu prodded her ankles. "But you're still alive. Your mask disappeared faster than you'd hoped. Isn't it time for you to go home?"

Machi swung her legs back to the ground and stood up. "Fine. I'll go away. You could've just said I was being annoying."

Uryu reached out. "Hey, wait. That's not--"

Machi shrugged. "Whatever you want. I'm not used to doing things my way. The Zero Division has it's own dogma, just like the Quincey's have theirs." She pulled back and stood far enough away. "Our motto that we live by is; Do for others what can't be done for you. No matter how painful." She closed her eye. "I can't have what I want. Because what I want would hurt too many people." She bowed and vanished.

Uryu leaned back against the bench.

"Jerk."

He jumped a mile when his father slapped the back of his head. "DAD! What the hay are you doing?!"

"Watching." He looked away, smoking. "You were gone and nightfall came. Wondered what had happened is all."

"Why'd you call me a jerk?"

"Because." He looked at where Machi had stood. "Sometimes, to want the same thing as someone else isn't hurting anyone."


	15. Chapter 15: The Parting

Uryu was staring at the wall, soaking it in.

And then it hit him, like a train wreck.

If Machi was marred like that, maybe she believed that anybody could or would love her. Uryu thought maybe he could just be friends. It defied all Quincy logic to love a Shinigami on his part, at least as Uryu saw it.

He stared at his hands and he thought hard about it. This was going to change Machi for good. He would probably get a long, drawn-out argument. No, he _would_ get an argument from Machi, after how much affection she showed him. Uryu would have to defend his perspective on being a Quincy and living in the mortal world rather than a Shinigami living in the barracks of some Division of the Gotei.

Not to mention she was like an ultra ninja girlfriend.

"I guess it can't be helped."

---Toshiro---

He slowly opened his eyes, watching the sun get up. He could still hear the screaming metal and the disaster of finding that bloody heap. It haunted his nights and made him wonder what would be a good time to admit that he didn't want her to die, and his "want" became his wish and his will. Maybe, if he'd let her die, it wouldn't have ended so recklessly and deadly.

He closed his eyes again and her face floated into view. Her smile, her black hair, her bandaged face smiled brightly back at him.

"Shiro-chan?"

He jumped and swiveled around. "Cifer-tai--"

WHAM!

Machi's smoking fist left a broken nose on Toshiro's face. "No."

"Um," Toshiro put a hand to his nose. "Right, sorry. M-Machi?"

"Ah, yeah, um...." She shrugged. "I was wondering what you're doing in the park."

"I was waiting, that's all." Toshiro had learned some healing and fixed his broken nose. He looked at the sun. "How long have you been here?"

"Um, I was sleeping on the grass."

Toshiro turned and looked at her curiously. "Why? You don't have a place to sleep?"

"No." Machi's head dropped slightly. "Nobody's willing to take in a stranger. Besides, Urahara didn't give me some nice blanket to wrap myself in. It gets cold sleeping in the basement." She made a gesture, emphasizing her point. "He never lets sun down there, so, I can tell you it gets well below freezing and I've seen my spit turn straight to ice when I'd spit the air. He likes to torture people, doesn't he?" She was rambling to herself now.

Toshiro remembered that, too. "Machi?" he asked, quiet as ever. She acknowledged him. "Why didn't you...?"

"Eh? Toshiro?" Machi reached out and her and touched Toshiro's cheek. It was warm and it didn't withdraw from Toshiro's cold skin. "Toshiro, is something wrong? Did someone break your heart?"

He remained silent.

Machi withdrew. "That's it, you keep doing this to me! You shut up! Why do you always do this to me? Did I do something.... mean to you?"

Toshiro looked up. His eyes widened and he stood up, his scarf falling onto the bench. "M-Machi, I--!"

Machi was teary eyed. She turned away. "You must really have something against me. It seems you're not the only one."

It was then that Toshiro saw Uryu sitting on a bench farther into the park. He was leaning forward with his elbows propped on his knees and his hands clasped in prayer. He was boring his thumb's knuckles into his forehead. It looked as though he'd said something or done something strenuous that had caused him to be uncomfortable.

"Machi, what happened? What did the Quincy say to you?" Toshiro's anger ebbed into his voice. Machi was like a sister that couldn't be replaced, and it angered Toshiro that anyone would hurt her.

"No, don't. I just thought one thing and it turned out to be something else." Machi rubbed her tears away. She touched her broken face and sighed. "He just... said something that makes.... all the sense in the world." She was crying again. "I'm sorry." She bowed to Toshiro. "I have to go and help open Urahara's shop."

"Machi!"

She vanished.

Toshiro stood there with his hand out when, between his fingers, he saw Uryu's body give a shudder. He was still unsure what had just happened. Snatching up his scarf, he marched up to Uryu. Plopping down, he waited.

"I'm so stupid. I should've known she'd react like that." Uryu sat up-right and looked Toshiro in the eye. "Logically, I'd never be comfortable. Sure, I'd be a part of her life, but something just makes me feel stupid about it."

"What happened?"

"I was ready for a fight. But she just let it come." Uryu looked at the pink and orange sky, his eyes portraying a hurt friend and not a damaged lover. "I told her about my Quincy dogma and she didn't say a word. So, I asked her, after the traumatic event of losing your sight and never being normal again, wasn't there a single person who stayed with you? All she said was that the person who stayed didn't stay long after. He stayed and helped her stand again, but ditched her. He never spoke to her and she believed that was all she could do with any love. Let it die on it's own, rather than chop it's head off, like he'd done to her."

Toshiro knew who "he" was.

"Thing is, I watched her fall apart and it dawned on me, I could always be a good friend, someone to help her stand on her own and teach her how to move forward. Now, I don't know if that was a good idea. She said she'd been trying to fall out of love with the one who abandoned her when she needed him." Uryu glanced at Toshiro. "I don't know if I should even be talking about it."

Toshiro closed his eyes. "No. Machi would want you to tell someone. She'd want you to let someone know she was hurt. Now I know where she's really gone. I'll help her, for now. Thank you, Ishida."

"Yeah," Uryu muttered. "Now I feel lower than Dirt." He looked away and Toshiro knew why Uryu felt that way.

Getting up, he bowed respectfully to Uryu. Toshiro knew that it was costing Uryu a lot of memories to let her go. But it was also a painful thing because Machi needed someone to cling to, unlike the other Zero Division members. All were independent, except the weakest link; Cifer Ummamachi.

Having lost both parents and her twin brother before she even hit maturity made it impossible for her to fully mend herself together properly. Having lost her physical appearance didn't help either.

It had been Toshiro who'd stayed and assisted her. He'd been kind enough to let her cry on his shoulder. But he was soon swamped by the duties of a Captain and hadn't really taken a good long walk with her. He'd left her to her own demise while he went and made a good life for himself as a Captain. Now, he'd have to clean up his mess before she wound up like Kusaka had.

It was now gnawing at his insides to know she was probably crying her eyes out somewhere. Question was, how fast could he get to her?

Toshiro spent a general time of twelve minutes to reach Machi. She was at the river-side. It had always been like Machi to be where there was water so it could calm her if she got too upset or lull her to sleep if she cried too hard.

He arrived, panting and sweating and he tried to speak, but his mind went blank. Machi was already sleeping on the riverbank, on her back. Her hair was sticking to her face and she looked as though she were sleeping in grass or something poky. She had ditched her gigai and was using her Hallow self to disintegrate her deep, old, nasty gash that tore through her calm face.

She was sleeping.

Toshiro slowly came closer and slipped his jacket off. He laid it across her body and she twitched before curling up so only her feet stuck out the bottom and she was on her side. Toshiro decided he would wait until she got up. He had a lot to say and very little time to tell her.

---Ryuken---

He had to soak it in. He'd probably have been just like Uryu if Machi had shown she loved him. He didn't yell at Uryu, he didn't tell him off, he didn't even look away from his son's eyes. He could see that Uryu had fallen for Machi and was pushing it away.

"If this is what you wanted, then you very well have a heart of gold, Uryu." He finally looked out the window, towards the almost risen sun. "I won't tell you how to do things. If this was your way of making things right, then I won't stop you. If you want her to be happy, let her be. She'll come to her own happiness."

Uryu swallowed his tears and bit his tongue. He _really_ wanted to cry right now.

"For now, I'll let you go." Ryuken gave Uryu a fatherly stare. "I want you to go to your room and come out when you've gathered yourself. We'll take a walk later. Go. I don't want you slopping all over my carpet."

Uryu nodded and left.

Ryuken didn't let Uryu cry, usually. But this was something that could desperately change Uryu's Quincy powers. After all, Machi had saved his life and he'd saved her's. The two of them had created a small bond in that sense. But Ryuken had gotten a strong feeling she wouldn't truly love anyone but the one who showed her there was something worth protecting and loving in this life. He believed that she wasn't meant to be anywhere but where she belonged, and her tale with Uryu had closed on a very low note.

"Maybe you'll find better, Uryu. I don't want you to be hurt like this much longer."


	16. Epilogue: The Order to Stop

"Just because it's over doesn't mean I have to say so!"

"Well, Machi, you sure as heck didn't say you wanted it to be over!"

"Leave me alone! I'm tired of this! I want to sleep."

"Then sleep, you piece of--!"

---Machi---

"HEY!"

She turned around and saw Hanako. She looked utterly happy and Machi assumed it was something to do with Hisagi.

"Guess what?!"

"Jupiter crash landed?"

"No, silly!" Hanako held up a hand. "Hisagi wants to marry me! In a Western style and stuff."

"As in bride, groom, bridal party, and stuff?"

"Yes!!" Hanako jumped up.

Machi grabbed her on the way down and spun about. "Yes! You've got him! He's not going anywhere!"

"I came to ask if you'd be my Maid of Honor...." Hanako smiled brightly. "Hisagi said it was wonderful. He wants you to be at the wedding anyways."

Machi set Hanako down. "Well, I guess. I've never done a wedding before. I'm used to the 'hide the horns of jealousy' and the shinto priest blessing and all that."

"Well, we can learn along the way! By the way," Hanako lowered her voice, "I heard you had another meltdown. Are you okay?"

"No, not this time." Machi's smile dropped and she looked up at the endless blue sky. "I've already lost one man to another woman and then to death. I love another, but I'd rather he be happy than be with me. I don't think it's right to pin a man down that way."

"Then don't."

Machi looked back at Hanako, her mouth open wide.

"What? Garden and Crow are like that. They're not being held down by women, their being held down by the Royal Family. Oh, one question, who's going to transport the Oin next time, since we can't really ask the Gotei again?"

Machi reached over and grabbed Hanako's shoulder. "Let's worry about everything later. For now, I need to be drunk and we need to celebrate."

"Oh, um, okay!" Hanako grabbed Machi's arm. "Let's go murder Shunsui's record for drunk time!"

"Um, not what I meant.... HEY!"

Toshiro watched them run off and his cold eyes followed Machi. He'd spoken to her, but it had taken more of his heart than anything else. He had to bite his lip and pretend that it wasn't happening, that he could still have her smile to cherish. He didn't really want to follow her, he had no urge to. He let his heart go with her, around the corner and hoped that someday he'd get the chance to fall for her.

---

"Oi!"

"I said 'no' I don't want it to be over!"

"Shiba Kaien and Shiba Miyako are dead! There's nothing you can do!"

"I need to see their bodies! I want to know if it's true!"

Toshiro watched in horror as Cifer Ummamachi, Vice-Captain of Division Ten was restrained from seeing the bodies. As a fresh Academy graduate, he was about to learn about restraining an uncontrollable person.

"You can't!"

"Please! I'm begging you! Their my best friends! Their like family! Let me go!"

"We can't do that! You'll have to leave!"

"Please, please, please! I want to--!"

There was a bright flash and Cifer Ummamachi went flying back, blood spilling from her lips and nose. A kick from Toshiro had sent her flying and he quickly returned to his post. The other three guards thanked him and he made a "humph" sound.

"She was being annoyingly loud. Somebody's died, she could at least stay quiet and calm."


End file.
